Evaluation of short film
My production is the screenplay entitled "The Gunslinger's Justice", I started my coursework with an initial idea to create a screenplay set in a western environment as well as a modern day setting, the juxtaposition of environments evident in the description of mine-en-scene. I created two major characters, an older gunslinger from the West and a young boy in the modern day, who would interact with each other in both environments after a twist spawning a rivalry between the two. The main message I aimed to portray within my production is that actions have consequences, what may seem like an innocent throwaway act could actually turn your life upside down and impact you dramatically. I set out with an aim to create a narrative which developed two characters poised against each other, from very different backgrounds and a twist revolving around how the two characters came to face each other, to shed light on how a somewhat meaningless action can have catastrophic impacts on the lives of many, in a heavily dramatised way. Another aim of mine was to thrill the audience with intense action in a thriller style as well as making them aware of how someone from a completely different background would act under threat in this new world.
The short films I have studied and taken inspiration from are, The Gunfighter (Kissack, US, 2014), About a Girl (Percival, UK, 2001), Connect (Abrahams, UK, 2010), Curfew (Christensen, US, 2012), High Maintenance (Van, Germany, 2006) and Elephant (Clarke, UK, 1989). These short films I have selected are not all one specific genre and contain many unique individual qualities and techniques. I have chosen many of these techniques for my own production, from a dark thriller narrative, the twist, interactions in a western scene, and the relationship between two characters, somewhat opposites thrown together in one/multiple scenarios.
The short film that influenced my production the greatest is The Gunfighter, the setting of the saloon in the wild west is exactly what I had planned for mine, incorporating many of the features expressed in The Gunfighter such as the way characters are dressed and gathered round tables talking with each other, the eventual duel that occurs and even so much as the dialect of the inhabitants within this scenario. The aesthetic of the location and setting expressed visually through The Gunfighter is how I aimed to represent it within my script, obvious limitations are present as I cannot visually express this. That being said I still adapted what I could see in The Gunfighter into description within my screenplay.
Curfew was another major influence in adapting my screenplay as I wanted to include the interactions between two characters that wouldn't necessarily be put together, in Curfew the little girl is left with her estranged Uncle dealing with suicidal tendencies, in comparison I chose a young boy to collide with a powerful Gunslinger who are connected somehow as all is revealed by the end. Similarly to the Uncle in Curfew having a secret from the young counterpart, the Gunslinger in my production has a secret too that becomes revealed to the boy, Sami, eventually.
About a Girl had some influence on my production, purely for the way in which the young protagonist is portrayed and the plot follows along on a journey, while the two characters are not entirely similar, the tracking nature is resembled as the boy in my production makes his way to school, discovering a negative event has happened and continues his journey with a certain level of fear. The way About a Girl made me feel was shocking, confused, astounded and fearful of what had just happened in the twist at the end of the film, therefore the way Sami feels throughout my screenplay is a variation of how as a spectator I am made to feel during About a Girl.
Similarly to Curfew, another short film that had an impact on the choices I made during the development of my production was Connect. Two characters are thrown together by chance and interact in a special way, there is a chemistry between them and while I liked the concept I wanted to twist it in a way that would be surprising and effective, so rather than positive chemistry between the two individuals there is a strong rivalry, in the Gunfighters eyes, and it proves costly for some by the end.
In terms of the twist that comes in my screenplay, High Maintenance was an influence, as a spectator when the male character is revealed to be a robot it feels like an art of deception, this whole time we have been leading on to the conclusion he is a regular guy but it isn't to be. In my production the deception is prominent, a viewer can work out the secret and the twist that is coming however it is still the reality that not everything is as it seems, the choices Sami took impacted the outcome and it is the twist of events that occur that shed light on unclear moments and previous unknown occurrences.
Elephant is the final short film that I have taken inspiration as it consists of acts of very random killings in a casual manner, in my own production the character of the Gunslinger incorporates this random act of killing, yet twisting it so to him it seems justified. The brutal nature of each shooting sequence in Elephant is a key narrative concept I needed to include in my own screenplay. While there is no plot to Elephant, merely a thread of spontaneous documentary style killings, no character development is present in the short film so for me I wanted to add the character development to the main killing motive and hopefully expand upon the memorability factor of Elephant, and generate similar responses throughout, only a greater impact due to the development of two major characters.
Not only have these short films influenced my work but there have also been cinematic influences, having read through extracts from multiple scripts, I took a certain level of inspiration in the monologue styles, descriptive of a western setting and how to express the visualisation of the production through the medium of a screenplay. Quentin Tarantino's scripts for The Hateful Eight (2015, US, Tarantino) and Django Unchained (2012, US, Tarantino) express variations of the Western genre, it was partly due to these scripts that I decided to include a Western style crossed with the modern world. Throughout my screenplay there are moments when the ideology from the world of the Gunslinger is set to weave into the modern age as I didn't want it to be a generic Western, it had to include another landscape/genre. The contrast between the two locations is evident prominently, even down to how characters are dressed and talk to one another. I also wanted to gain more of an insight into the features of Westerns and so other script examples I looked at involved episodes of Westworld, The Magnificent Seven and True Grit. Even to a certain extent, the script for No Country For Old Men (2007, US, Coen Brothers) influenced my work with the dark thriller themes continuously throughout, a gritty tale and a revenge story too. The main premise of my screenplay is the Gunslinger's revenge, or justice given the title, and it involves hunting down the boy for a disclosed reason, reminiscent of the hunt for the antagonist in No Country For Old Men.
Upon finishing my screenplay and looking back on the aims I set out to achieve, I am pleased with how it has turned out, the meaning is impactful as well as the twist albeit obvious reviewing over it, the feeling that a twist generates is still there and that is exactly what I had hoped to encompass in the final piece. The two characters have been developed well, both could still have more detail yet it is enough for me to believe they are relatable in certain aspects and drastically different from each other too. It leaves enough open for interpretation without causing too much confusion, that is what I admire about certain films, the willingness to take risks and leave moments up in the air as to what is right and wrong, many of the short films I have studied make use of this technique.
What is probably the most emphatic and memorable moment from my screenplay would be the killing sequence in the final act, I chose to make it as harrowing as possible to incorporate the violent nature of the Gunslinger and how his world is so much different to the modern world of Sami. Due to this it needed to be true to the style of the west and not leave out any of the harsh features that would be common to see in this style of film. My main priority was ensuring it would include relevant features that are known in the genre of westerns and yet also maintain the contrast with the modern aspects as well as conventions of thrillers, each short film I have looked at and helped make decisions based on are of the thriller genre.
I did however encounter problems along the way in relation to plot continuation and having to make sure not to stray into too much storytelling. Initially it was challenging to start writing and have ideas flowing however as soon as I broke through that barrier I found it a lot better and more impactful with what I was writing in my production. Each scene transitioned smoothly and I felt myself seeing it all in my mind as it was being written. Aesthetically I would hope it looked as effective as I can see while writing, however one of the main reasons I chose to do the script was due to the lack of limitations shooting a film has.
As a conclusion, I believe that in relation to what I first set out to do, I have produced a screenplay that follows the plans to my original draft well, however with improvements along the way where it best fit. In terms of the brief I have managed to include a narrative twist, a slight enigma at the start of the screenplay that is resolved later in the narrative, however the main aspect I chose to focus on was the development of two characters which I feel I have expressed uniquely and in both an easy to follow way as well as an in depth look at how environmental impacts combined with new situations can develop a character in more ways than one. I am also aware of where to make changes too if I were to do it all again, the improvements would help to develop characters further and increase the spectator relatability, allowing them a deeper insight into the main characters to fill in any moments that could be made more interesting whether its by the development of Sami or Gunslinger or further depth in an action, another interaction between the two perhaps before the final showdown. All of this being said, I am very pleased with each technique I included and took inspiration from.
The short films I have studied and taken inspiration from are, The Gunfighter (Kissack, US, 2014), About a Girl (Percival, UK, 2001), Connect (Abrahams, UK, 2010), Curfew (Christensen, US, 2012), High Maintenance (Van, Germany, 2006) and Elephant (Clarke, UK, 1989). These short films I have selected are not all one specific genre and contain many unique individual qualities and techniques. I have chosen many of these techniques for my own production, from a dark thriller narrative, the twist, interactions in a western scene, and the relationship between two characters, somewhat opposites thrown together in one/multiple scenarios.
The short film that influenced my production the greatest is The Gunfighter, the setting of the saloon in the wild west is exactly what I had planned for mine, incorporating many of the features expressed in The Gunfighter such as the way characters are dressed and gathered round tables talking with each other, the eventual duel that occurs and even so much as the dialect of the inhabitants within this scenario. The aesthetic of the location and setting expressed visually through The Gunfighter is how I aimed to represent it within my script, obvious limitations are present as I cannot visually express this. That being said I still adapted what I could see in The Gunfighter into description within my screenplay.
Curfew was another major influence in adapting my screenplay as I wanted to include the interactions between two characters that wouldn't necessarily be put together, in Curfew the little girl is left with her estranged Uncle dealing with suicidal tendencies, in comparison I chose a young boy to collide with a powerful Gunslinger who are connected somehow as all is revealed by the end. Similarly to the Uncle in Curfew having a secret from the young counterpart, the Gunslinger in my production has a secret too that becomes revealed to the boy, Sami, eventually.
About a Girl had some influence on my production, purely for the way in which the young protagonist is portrayed and the plot follows along on a journey, while the two characters are not entirely similar, the tracking nature is resembled as the boy in my production makes his way to school, discovering a negative event has happened and continues his journey with a certain level of fear. The way About a Girl made me feel was shocking, confused, astounded and fearful of what had just happened in the twist at the end of the film, therefore the way Sami feels throughout my screenplay is a variation of how as a spectator I am made to feel during About a Girl.
Similarly to Curfew, another short film that had an impact on the choices I made during the development of my production was Connect. Two characters are thrown together by chance and interact in a special way, there is a chemistry between them and while I liked the concept I wanted to twist it in a way that would be surprising and effective, so rather than positive chemistry between the two individuals there is a strong rivalry, in the Gunfighters eyes, and it proves costly for some by the end.
In terms of the twist that comes in my screenplay, High Maintenance was an influence, as a spectator when the male character is revealed to be a robot it feels like an art of deception, this whole time we have been leading on to the conclusion he is a regular guy but it isn't to be. In my production the deception is prominent, a viewer can work out the secret and the twist that is coming however it is still the reality that not everything is as it seems, the choices Sami took impacted the outcome and it is the twist of events that occur that shed light on unclear moments and previous unknown occurrences.
Elephant is the final short film that I have taken inspiration as it consists of acts of very random killings in a casual manner, in my own production the character of the Gunslinger incorporates this random act of killing, yet twisting it so to him it seems justified. The brutal nature of each shooting sequence in Elephant is a key narrative concept I needed to include in my own screenplay. While there is no plot to Elephant, merely a thread of spontaneous documentary style killings, no character development is present in the short film so for me I wanted to add the character development to the main killing motive and hopefully expand upon the memorability factor of Elephant, and generate similar responses throughout, only a greater impact due to the development of two major characters.
Not only have these short films influenced my work but there have also been cinematic influences, having read through extracts from multiple scripts, I took a certain level of inspiration in the monologue styles, descriptive of a western setting and how to express the visualisation of the production through the medium of a screenplay. Quentin Tarantino's scripts for The Hateful Eight (2015, US, Tarantino) and Django Unchained (2012, US, Tarantino) express variations of the Western genre, it was partly due to these scripts that I decided to include a Western style crossed with the modern world. Throughout my screenplay there are moments when the ideology from the world of the Gunslinger is set to weave into the modern age as I didn't want it to be a generic Western, it had to include another landscape/genre. The contrast between the two locations is evident prominently, even down to how characters are dressed and talk to one another. I also wanted to gain more of an insight into the features of Westerns and so other script examples I looked at involved episodes of Westworld, The Magnificent Seven and True Grit. Even to a certain extent, the script for No Country For Old Men (2007, US, Coen Brothers) influenced my work with the dark thriller themes continuously throughout, a gritty tale and a revenge story too. The main premise of my screenplay is the Gunslinger's revenge, or justice given the title, and it involves hunting down the boy for a disclosed reason, reminiscent of the hunt for the antagonist in No Country For Old Men.
Upon finishing my screenplay and looking back on the aims I set out to achieve, I am pleased with how it has turned out, the meaning is impactful as well as the twist albeit obvious reviewing over it, the feeling that a twist generates is still there and that is exactly what I had hoped to encompass in the final piece. The two characters have been developed well, both could still have more detail yet it is enough for me to believe they are relatable in certain aspects and drastically different from each other too. It leaves enough open for interpretation without causing too much confusion, that is what I admire about certain films, the willingness to take risks and leave moments up in the air as to what is right and wrong, many of the short films I have studied make use of this technique.
What is probably the most emphatic and memorable moment from my screenplay would be the killing sequence in the final act, I chose to make it as harrowing as possible to incorporate the violent nature of the Gunslinger and how his world is so much different to the modern world of Sami. Due to this it needed to be true to the style of the west and not leave out any of the harsh features that would be common to see in this style of film. My main priority was ensuring it would include relevant features that are known in the genre of westerns and yet also maintain the contrast with the modern aspects as well as conventions of thrillers, each short film I have looked at and helped make decisions based on are of the thriller genre.
I did however encounter problems along the way in relation to plot continuation and having to make sure not to stray into too much storytelling. Initially it was challenging to start writing and have ideas flowing however as soon as I broke through that barrier I found it a lot better and more impactful with what I was writing in my production. Each scene transitioned smoothly and I felt myself seeing it all in my mind as it was being written. Aesthetically I would hope it looked as effective as I can see while writing, however one of the main reasons I chose to do the script was due to the lack of limitations shooting a film has.
As a conclusion, I believe that in relation to what I first set out to do, I have produced a screenplay that follows the plans to my original draft well, however with improvements along the way where it best fit. In terms of the brief I have managed to include a narrative twist, a slight enigma at the start of the screenplay that is resolved later in the narrative, however the main aspect I chose to focus on was the development of two characters which I feel I have expressed uniquely and in both an easy to follow way as well as an in depth look at how environmental impacts combined with new situations can develop a character in more ways than one. I am also aware of where to make changes too if I were to do it all again, the improvements would help to develop characters further and increase the spectator relatability, allowing them a deeper insight into the main characters to fill in any moments that could be made more interesting whether its by the development of Sami or Gunslinger or further depth in an action, another interaction between the two perhaps before the final showdown. All of this being said, I am very pleased with each technique I included and took inspiration from.
Comments
Post a Comment