Summer Homework

Dylan Starr - Summer Homework

Establishment 

Initially, the creators - Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen - both worked at Palace and Scala Productions where they were award winning producers after having created some of the UK’s most distinguished films from the 1980’s onwards. 

In 2005 however, they were awarded a widely coveted Slate Development Funding scheme from the UK Film Council and invested it into their shared independent production company, Number 9 Films. 

Stephen Woolley 

Has spent a lifetime in the movie and film making business. His career began in 1976 in a cinema in London where he helped manage the cinema. This led to him going on to own his own cinema, The Scala, which was praised for it’s “diverse, original and alternative programming”.  

His production work includes a series of low budget but high value movies, such as the Academy Award winning “The Crying Game”. 

Elizabeth Karlsen  

Began her career in independent film production in New York but then returned to London to work as Head of Production for the production company Palace Pictures, which was co-run by her husband and partner, Stephen Woolley.  

Credits to her name include Mark Herman’s Little Voice, which was nominated for six Golden Globe Awards including Best Actor, which Michael Caine went on to win, and an Academy Award nomination for Brenda Blethyn as Best Actress. The film was also nominated for six British Academy Awards including Best Picture. 

Aims 

The company aims to: 

• Produce at least two to three movies a year. 
• Be one of the UK’s leading independent production companies.  
• Invest in and hold strong relationships with a wide range of talented actors, actresses and filmmakers all over the world. 

Genres 

A genre (as defined by the free online dictionary) is a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content.  

Number 9 films does not confine itself to one particular genre, with movies such as How to Lose Friends and Alienate People fitting into a comedy genre but Sounds Like Teen Spirit instead falling into a documentary category.  

The benefits of not restricting the company to one genre or convention of film can be that it would make movies appealing to larger target audiences and therefore generating a larger profit.  

Filmography and Upcoming Releases  

• Made in Dagenham 2010: Nominated for four BAFTA awards, including Outstanding British Film, Best Supporting Actress, Make Up and Hair and Costume Design.  
• Perrier's Bounty 2009: Nominated for four IFTA’s including Best Film, Best Actor in a Lead Role, Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.  
• Sounds Like Teen Spirit 2008: Released to rave reviews. It was variously described as “The most wonderful movie since Slumdog” (The London Lite), “utterly infectious” (Charles Gant, Heat Magazine), “unmissable” (The Daily Mirror)  
• How To Lose Friends & Alienate People 2008: With a £180000 budget returning a £1,154,607 profit in the first weekend, this was one of Number 9 films most successful films  
• And When Did You Last See Your Father? 2008: Described as “an unflinching exploration of a father/son relationship” and directed by Anand Tucker who was previously nominated for an Academy Award. 
• Breakfast On Pluto 2005: Set in the 1970s, Breakfast on Pluto is a darkly comic story about a young transvestite growing up in Ireland and was written and directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) 
• Stoned 2005: This is a murder mystery about the death of one of the most talented musicians of the ‘60s who couldn’t or wouldn’t write pop songs. Directed by Number 9 Films creator Stephen Woolley.  
• Mrs. Harris 2005: Based on a true story Mrs. Harris tells the tragic, quirky and unlikely tale of Jean Harris, who hit the headlines in 1980 after shooting and killing her lover, the Scarsdale diet doctor, Herman Tarnower. 

Half term coursework - Opening scene to 'White house down'

White House Down - 2013

Half term coursework - Opening scene to 'Shooter'

Shooter - 2007

Shooter is one of my favourite films mainly because of the opening scene, it is powerful and within the first 3 minutes of watching it I could tell that it would be an excellent film.

It starts off my two men laying down in long grass both wearing military uniform. One of the men has a pair of binoculars whilst the other man is staring through the scope of a sniper rifle. 

By starting the film off like this the viewer can straight away that it is going to have a lot of action in it due to the high calibred rifle.

It then goes on to the men identifying a possible threat driving down the road dressed as what is described as 'Taliban' uniform. As the spotter tells 'The shooter' how far the target is and how strong the wind is he then takes a vital shot that creates mayhem. This is a good indication that the men wearing the uniform are very prestigious, I say this because they are two lone soldiers attempting to fight off a mass of enemy.

Half term coursework - Opening scene to 'White Chicks'

White Chicks - 2004

I like the intro to 'White chicks' because it is powerful and underlines what each characters role is which helps the viewer to quickly identify what the storyline may be about.

They use many different shots such as the double-shot, match on action shy and the shot reverse shot. By using these shots it creates an effect that impacts the viewer's imagination. It starts off by a slow transition between shots because it is the start of the film but as it gets deeper into the opening scene it gets quicker; this indicates that something is about to happen.

I will be using this intro to help me plan for my film because it helps me think about key elements which could be used to polish my final piece. By using this opening scene i will be able to ensure that once i am filming i think about how i can make the viewer create a metorphorical relationship with the characters.

Fight Night: Storyboard

Storyboard

These are the pictures of my storyboard that I have taken. We have drawn rough copy of each scene with a short caption below to describe what is happening. This will help us whilst filming because we have something to go off rather than trying to think about it all in our heads.

Preliminary Task Final Edit

This is the short film we created, we had to do this for our preliminary task, this shows that we have a good understanding on how to use the camera and what different shots can be used to create mood and emotion.

Firstly it starts off with Joe walking Dylan down the corridor with his hands behind his backs, this shows the viewer that he has been arrested.

They then go in to an a class room which has been used for an interrogation room.

Fight Night: Actors/Actresses

Dylan: (Protagonist)

This is David Starr, he is the protagonist throughout the film, he is training very hard for his big which could make or break his career. Throughout the build up to his fight things are going exceptionally well, as it reaches the day before his fight he encounters a man harassing a helpless women, as he tries to intervene he gets fatally stabbed which leaves him in a comber.

Martyn: (Antagonist)

This is Oscar Wright, he is the antogist throughout the film, he is the drunken thug who assaults the hopeless women and then aggressively stabs David Starr, ending his career.

Janine: David's Mother

This is Janine Donnelly, she is David Starr's inspirational mother who he loves and adores. In addition to this inspirational figure, she plays one part through-out the film where she is washing up the dirty dishes and as David leaves the house for training she gives him a kiss. This scene shows the stereotype that women belong in the kitchen.

Preliminary Task

This is a shot of my storyboard which was created using the storyline for my preliminary task which was 'To create a short film displaying the following shots:

- Shot reverse shot

- Match on action shot

and also to abide by the 180' rule.'

My short film was filmed in school, it was about a boy being escorted by the police to an interview room for a suspicion of murder. We managed to show all of the shots and more which made the film look tidy.

By creating a storyboard it gave us a rough idea on how to shoot our film and how to choose the correct location.

Shots:

Fight Night: Breakdown + Synopsis

Our film 'Fight Night'.

This is a step by step breakdown on how the film is going pan out. Although it isn't perfect such as yet it is still a work in progress and always will be until the final piece has been filmed, edited and polished.

Synopsis: 

On the night before his biggest fight yet, our London-dwelling boxer, Dylan, faces his toughest challenge so far. 'Fight Night' is a gripping drama where family, friends and an unbreakable will are the only things Dylan can rely on to make it through these hard times.

In the heart of the capital, our protagonist trains as hard as he can to prepare for the fight that could make or break his career. However his hopes are seemingly dashed when he dives head first into something a lot bigger than him. For Dylan, all seems lost. But his immense resolve won't let him go that easy. he sets himself on the road to victory, determined to win his fight. But...is everything what it seems?

This is the synopsis for our film 'Fight Night' that we come up with. We wrote this in such a way that it entices you to watch the film which is the purpose of it. It gives you a brief but very detailed outline on what the film is about, it doesn't give away too much about the film but reveals parts that make you want to watch it.

Half term coursework - Opening scene to 'Monsters inc'

Monsters Inc. - 2001