Technical Difficulties

In the lesson today, I  have to overcome some technical difficulties as the computer I was editing on, I could no longer use, so I therefore used a memory stick to export onto the laptop. However, the clips wouldn't link to final cut pro, so after some time, I exported my edited clips so far on the computer to the highest quality and then put it onto my laptop. Even though this took a long time to do, I learnt in the process as it was new to me and I used google to look up things I didn't understand or know what to do. Now I am ready to carrying on with my editing.

Article Research

In my lesson we looked at the Empire magazine to see and analysis different upcoming film articles. I looked at two films which stood out at me by the presentation and boldness of the pictures and the text. Empire is known to be targeted to everyone, however, it is predominately for males of the age of 18-25. This is shown through colours of the page, the genre and the fact that it is very male dominated in the pictures.

Planning for my filming

Plan of action:
On Saturday 27th January, I will be filming my first part of my short film with my actor/ dancer Emily. I will be filming all the parts in the house and in the car.  The shots I will be filming on Saturday will be 1- 10 and then shot 19-27. After I have filmed this, I will start to edit and then film the dance scene next week.

My Risk Assesment

My risk assessement from isadora-spratling 

Planning fliming day on the 27th Jan

Filming day 1
On the 27th of January, I am planning on doing my first bits of filming. I am planning doing all the scene which aren't using the dance studio which is the majority of my short film. I am going to give myself 3h to do all the different shots in the house.

Location:
For the location, I want to portray a sense of verisimilitude to the audience and by doing this I will be using my house as my actresses home. My character is still young and lives at home and I therefore wanted to use my house to present this. My room is going to be a big feature in my short film and I think it is very fitting and suitable for my protagonists room as it is girly and has lots of dance features such as pointe shoes on the walls. I also have a short scene when my character goes outside and into the car to drive to ballet. Here again I will be using my front drive and my mum will drive the car to again show that she is still quite dependent of her family.

Costume:
I want my character to wear some sleep clothes such as a baggy top when she wakes up. She will then get ready for dance and put on a black leotard with ballet tights and a top and leggings over. She is going to be presented as a conventional trendy teenager with converses and a stylish dance bag. I will also get Emily to wear another set of pyjamas for another scene which comes later. This is to show time has passed.


Props:
Props are important in this short film as I want present that my character is a perfectionist. For example the scene where she puts on her makeup and takes out her folded clothes. Another prop we used was the phone for the alarm which again presents a sense of versilimtude as it is filmed in present day where phones are a big feature of everyone's daily routine. Finally, I used a plate of food to show a flash back of her pushing the food away, suggesting her struggles with her relationship with food.

Shot List- filming day 1

Here is the shot list I created for the first day of filming.

My voice over my short film

I have written my voice over for my short film. This will be throughout the film as I am having very little dialogue. I thought by having a voice over, it will make it more personal and different. I have written it in past and present tense as I want to show the journey that my character is going through, and to present that even though she has gone through all of this she still is completely cured and better and it is a long process.

Voice over for my short film starved

Fist two shots are in silence as she wakes up and turns off her alarm.

Shot 3- On some days I feel the warmth of the sunlight hitting my face and I feel uplifted and positively happy with myself. And then there are other days where I have no motivation, I lie there thinking about the day and the different challenges I’m going to have to face, there is no sunlight, no positivity, just darkness and the emptiness inside.

Shot 4- I stare into my reflection and there’s nothing, I don’t recognise myself anymore, but I don’t care. No one understands, I try to put a brave face on and pretend nothing is wrong, but there is no denning it, there is something wrong with me and I’m scared.

Shot 5- I see everything as a routine, wake up, get ready, skip breakfast and head straight for school.

Shot 6 and 7 silence, dialogue

Shot 8 no voice over

Shot 9&10- I don’t mind school, I guess it takes my mind off everything but each day I feel weaker and I’m worried that my friends and teachers will start to notice. My mum has and she gets upset every time I say I’m not hungry. The truth is, I am but after a while I get used to it I guess, but I can’t help it now, I’m in a cycle and I can’t get out.

Shot 11- Every day the only thing I look forward to is my dancing after school. It is where I can be myself, forget the day, the worries and pain.

Shot 12- However, the voices are still there, I try to ignore them but sometimes they are just too loud. Little things like seeing my refection in a mirror or a window makes me remember my deep secret and my insecurities.

Shot 13- I am never released from the fear or dread. Even having a snack in a dance class, I can’t and I’m embarrassed for being this way.

Shot 14- I want to be healthy and to be like all the other girls who don’t think anything of it. I know I’m not fuelling my body and that is why I feel so weak so often.

Shot 15- I remember a time, when I was at my very worse. I was in my ballet class and I hadn’t eaten all day other than a biscuit at lunch. I started feeling really weak and dizzy and before I knew it, everything felt muffled and blurry.

Shot 16- I woke up with everyone surrounding me and my head was pounding.

Shot 17- And it was then I knew I needed actual help.

Shot 18 black out

Shot 19- For the next couple of weeks I wasn’t allowed to go to school or dance. The doctors told me I needed to get better by resting and eating again. I would lie in my bed for hours thinking about how I could let myself get this bad. The truth is I didn’t release I was that ill, I knew that there was something wrong with me but I didn’t know I was starving myself and becoming anorexic.

Shot 20- It was then, when I was laying in my bed, I realised that I needed to actually do something to help me get better as this would be the only way I could break this vicious cycle and be able to dance again and do normal things that a teenage girl does. Not only did I starve myself from food but I starved myself from happiness which came from the feeling of freedom when I danced.

Finishes with a dance to a song called Helium which will also show flash backs of her past 

My Storyboard

I have created my storyboard for my short film. This short film is about a girl who suffers from anorexia and the ways she deals with all her pain is by dancing, as it is a real outlet to take her mind of it and to enlighten her mood by challenging her happiness.
I haven't yet come up with a tittle but I am brainstorming ideas at the moment. I like the title starved as it refers to how she is feeling but also she is starved from dancing which is only thing is enjoys.