Audience Feedback
After creating our film, we uploaded it to YouTube and created two opportunities for audience feedback. By linking to the film on our facebook pages, we enabled viewers to share opinions through social networking. We also hosted a focus group response from members of our peer group, getting many comments that we then used to edit and better our film with. Below are a summary of some of the comments:
"I liked the way it finished as it leaves the audience with suspense, and question their mind of what will happen."
"Perfect smooth editing."
"The costume and make up looked very realistic and professional."
"The acting made me believe in the films verisimilitude."
"The fonts are very computer-like unprofessional."
From such comments, we were able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the sequence. The best example of how a critique enabled us to improve the film, is the font. After the comment above, we revised our fonts used in the titles.
"I liked the way it finished as it leaves the audience with suspense, and question their mind of what will happen."
"Perfect smooth editing."
"The costume and make up looked very realistic and professional."
"The acting made me believe in the films verisimilitude."
"The fonts are very computer-like unprofessional."
From such comments, we were able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the sequence. The best example of how a critique enabled us to improve the film, is the font. After the comment above, we revised our fonts used in the titles.
More Stills From Research/Production
The following is a slideshow video containing a series of stills from our pre-production research and from our filming days. (See previous post for more.)
It contains makeup research and costume research with our chosen actors. It includes several of our location shots, including the station ext, the house (int and ext), the forest, the journey to the forest (which we eventually cut for time/speed) and Waterloo.
0:00 - Makeup testing on Julek. Created from a combination of removable eyeshadow smudged on his cheeks, and some hair products and other eye makeup. To signify the emotional changes in his character in a physical way.
0:05 - Location research for exterior train shots. Berrylands station provided a number of angles, yet we only ended up using the ECU in the opening shot of our sequence. Still is from a discarded shot taken from the roof of the station.
0:10 - Establishing shot of Julek's town, with its serenity meant to be contrasted with the harshness of life with the kidnapper. This was taken during location research, and can be seen from our original storyboard idea.
0:15 - Discarded shot from when the kidnapper follows Julek towards the forest. Was originally intended to create suspense, but ended up being dull and just wasting time.
0:20 - Exterior shot from location research for which house we would use. We liked the gate/sidewall, as well is its obvious proximity to where the rest of the scene would be shot.
0:25 - Shot from production of Julek on the train with his kidnapper. By putting them together, it ruined the suspense. Instead, we introduced the idea of their relationship with the handholding walk through the crowds in Waterloo
0:30 - Taken during filming the dialogue scene in the kitchen, testing where characters should be placed on set for framing/prevalence in the scene.
0:35 - Another shot from inside the kitchen, when we were decided where we should shoot to create the best natural mise-en-scene. Eventually, due to light issues (the window), we shot from the opposite side of the room.
0:40 - Eventually disused angle for when Julek would run down the stairs, and/or when exiting the house.
0:45 - Close up insert to establish the mother's character. Ultimately substitute for the close up of her face as he runs into the room, as this shot was originally intended to be part of a match-on edit with a MCU of the mother.
0:50 - Location research at Waterloo. Shot before the actors arrived, we were testing the best (and safest) places to shoot from, and where we would decide to shoot. We eventually decided on the zoomed-in, focaldistance shot pointing in towards the concourse rather than at the gates to be used in the film.
0:55 - Another disused angle from Julek's journey to the forest.
1:00 - Photograph from the production day, of the two actors rehearsing lines/action.
1:05 - Makeup test on the kidnapper inside the train location.
1:10 - Location research (and an eventually discarded shot, where the mother closed the door after Julek ran out).
1:15 - Another disused shot of Julek after leaving his house, removed for time/boredom issues. Meant to show his transition from one side of life to the other, this was a stylistic shot that didn't quite fit in with the pace of the rest of the sequence, and was a shame to cut, as it was one of our original ideas.
It contains makeup research and costume research with our chosen actors. It includes several of our location shots, including the station ext, the house (int and ext), the forest, the journey to the forest (which we eventually cut for time/speed) and Waterloo.
0:00 - Makeup testing on Julek. Created from a combination of removable eyeshadow smudged on his cheeks, and some hair products and other eye makeup. To signify the emotional changes in his character in a physical way.
0:05 - Location research for exterior train shots. Berrylands station provided a number of angles, yet we only ended up using the ECU in the opening shot of our sequence. Still is from a discarded shot taken from the roof of the station.
0:10 - Establishing shot of Julek's town, with its serenity meant to be contrasted with the harshness of life with the kidnapper. This was taken during location research, and can be seen from our original storyboard idea.
0:15 - Discarded shot from when the kidnapper follows Julek towards the forest. Was originally intended to create suspense, but ended up being dull and just wasting time.
0:20 - Exterior shot from location research for which house we would use. We liked the gate/sidewall, as well is its obvious proximity to where the rest of the scene would be shot.
0:25 - Shot from production of Julek on the train with his kidnapper. By putting them together, it ruined the suspense. Instead, we introduced the idea of their relationship with the handholding walk through the crowds in Waterloo
0:30 - Taken during filming the dialogue scene in the kitchen, testing where characters should be placed on set for framing/prevalence in the scene.
0:35 - Another shot from inside the kitchen, when we were decided where we should shoot to create the best natural mise-en-scene. Eventually, due to light issues (the window), we shot from the opposite side of the room.
0:40 - Eventually disused angle for when Julek would run down the stairs, and/or when exiting the house.
0:45 - Close up insert to establish the mother's character. Ultimately substitute for the close up of her face as he runs into the room, as this shot was originally intended to be part of a match-on edit with a MCU of the mother.
0:50 - Location research at Waterloo. Shot before the actors arrived, we were testing the best (and safest) places to shoot from, and where we would decide to shoot. We eventually decided on the zoomed-in, focaldistance shot pointing in towards the concourse rather than at the gates to be used in the film.
0:55 - Another disused angle from Julek's journey to the forest.
1:00 - Photograph from the production day, of the two actors rehearsing lines/action.
1:05 - Makeup test on the kidnapper inside the train location.
1:10 - Location research (and an eventually discarded shot, where the mother closed the door after Julek ran out).
1:15 - Another disused shot of Julek after leaving his house, removed for time/boredom issues. Meant to show his transition from one side of life to the other, this was a stylistic shot that didn't quite fit in with the pace of the rest of the sequence, and was a shame to cut, as it was one of our original ideas.
Props
Julek
- Football - Represents Juleks youth and dream of being a professional football player. It symbolises dreams and their destruction.
- Sleeping bag - used to signify that Julek is now sleeping out on the streets. And has know idea where his bed is.
Kidnapper
- Cigarette - The cigarette is very symbolic in 21st century media, as their current associations are of course very negative. This therefore signifies the kidnapper's character as a harmful and dangerous man.
- Water - Contrasting this, in the following scene, he gets his victim a bottle of water, demonstrating the development of their relationship.
Mother
- Ladle - Together with her costume, this is used by to signify to the audience that Julek has a stereotypical mother who love and looks after him in every way possible.
- Football - Represents Juleks youth and dream of being a professional football player. It symbolises dreams and their destruction.
- Sleeping bag - used to signify that Julek is now sleeping out on the streets. And has know idea where his bed is.
Kidnapper
- Cigarette - The cigarette is very symbolic in 21st century media, as their current associations are of course very negative. This therefore signifies the kidnapper's character as a harmful and dangerous man.
- Water - Contrasting this, in the following scene, he gets his victim a bottle of water, demonstrating the development of their relationship.
Mother
- Ladle - Together with her costume, this is used by to signify to the audience that Julek has a stereotypical mother who love and looks after him in every way possible.
Equipment Used
- Sony HQ camera
- Sony microphone
- Adjustable tripod
- Apple Mac and related software (iMovie, GarageBand, LiveType etc)
If we had completed this film....
Whereas films from major studios always have an intended, well measured path (from budgeting, to marketing and distribution), films from independent or first time directors are often less certain.
In the past, these low-budge films would have been put into film festivals or have a limited, local release at supportive, independent movie theatres. However, the domination of bid-budget American studios has filtered through to mainstream films being shown only in major cinemas (like Odeon of Vue), while the existence of local, indie cinemas are slowly being extinguished.
Despite this, it is once again our digital era that would enables us to fulfill the film's potential. It is, of course, due to digital technology that three seventeen year olds were able to create, film and edit our movie in the first place.
We can upload our film to UGC video websites like DailyMotion and Youtube, and distribute it by social networking (eg facebook, twitter, tumblr). Marketing is then achieved either through viral or word of mouth forms, as the views increase exponentially. If profit is to be made from this, it would have to be through advertising on the site.
The next step from this is if the film gathers so much attention, a marketing/distribution company then channels money into it, to have a wider cinema audience. Of course, even hypothetically, this is extremely unlikely.
In the past, these low-budge films would have been put into film festivals or have a limited, local release at supportive, independent movie theatres. However, the domination of bid-budget American studios has filtered through to mainstream films being shown only in major cinemas (like Odeon of Vue), while the existence of local, indie cinemas are slowly being extinguished.
Despite this, it is once again our digital era that would enables us to fulfill the film's potential. It is, of course, due to digital technology that three seventeen year olds were able to create, film and edit our movie in the first place.
We can upload our film to UGC video websites like DailyMotion and Youtube, and distribute it by social networking (eg facebook, twitter, tumblr). Marketing is then achieved either through viral or word of mouth forms, as the views increase exponentially. If profit is to be made from this, it would have to be through advertising on the site.
The next step from this is if the film gathers so much attention, a marketing/distribution company then channels money into it, to have a wider cinema audience. Of course, even hypothetically, this is extremely unlikely.
Polish Dialogue
At the pre-production phase, we as group decided to have the scenes before the kidnapping of Julek to be in polish, and in the present day to be in English as it represents the passing of time and the main character learning new things.
However the Friday before shooting we decided to have the whole opening sequence in Polish. We made this choice as we believed that with Polish dialogue we could steer the opening sequence away form a novice attempt at a Hollywood blockbuster which are commonly seen, which we feared our film would be dubbed as with out Polish dialogue. Another major reason for the polish dialogue was that we wanted to create a deep and meaningful film which real 'film fans' would got to see to emphasise with the characters. Something to be easy recognised in real society in UK, in this case polish immigrants and their life (life of little boy Julek). After some research, we didn't find any movie that could reflect on the ideas and problems that we wanted to show in our opening sequence.
(Having recently read Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, I became fascinated with the idea of language as a form of subversive, subconscious learning technique. I then applied this macrocosmic style narrative element (forcing the ideas of the film onto the audience, rather than just the characters) to our sequence: By making the audience watch the film in Polish, they are "forcibly" taken into hearing the language the same way that Julek is "forcibly" kidnapped. That's my other, more personal reason for agreeing to do this sequence in Polish - Sam)
However the Friday before shooting we decided to have the whole opening sequence in Polish. We made this choice as we believed that with Polish dialogue we could steer the opening sequence away form a novice attempt at a Hollywood blockbuster which are commonly seen, which we feared our film would be dubbed as with out Polish dialogue. Another major reason for the polish dialogue was that we wanted to create a deep and meaningful film which real 'film fans' would got to see to emphasise with the characters. Something to be easy recognised in real society in UK, in this case polish immigrants and their life (life of little boy Julek). After some research, we didn't find any movie that could reflect on the ideas and problems that we wanted to show in our opening sequence.
(Having recently read Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, I became fascinated with the idea of language as a form of subversive, subconscious learning technique. I then applied this macrocosmic style narrative element (forcing the ideas of the film onto the audience, rather than just the characters) to our sequence: By making the audience watch the film in Polish, they are "forcibly" taken into hearing the language the same way that Julek is "forcibly" kidnapped. That's my other, more personal reason for agreeing to do this sequence in Polish - Sam)
Analytical Deconstruction of Our Opening Sequence
[0:00] Our sequence begins with an ECU of the train. this signifies the fact that the characters will be going on a metaphorical journey as well as a physical one. The angle and resulting level of sound is a shocking opening shot for the audience, so we used a quick fade in to reduce this slightly, while still making it an attention-grabbing opening shot. This cuts into Julek on the train. The extended duration together with the close angle gives the audience a chance to study the protagonist, enabling them to empathise with him. Over these shots, we placed the institutional information.
This then flashes back (using a conventional white-out) to Julek in his house, before the incident. His makeup and costume have changed to a more stereotypical child. The editing pace changes to reflect his more innocent character, with a series of invisible continuity (often match-on) edits. Here we put in the title, to represent his ownership of the 'going'; that it is his metaphysical journey.
Then, we are introduced to his mother. She is dressed in an apron and fussing over a stove (see props/costume posts), using the mise-en scene to immediately establish her characterisation using archetypal features.
During the dialogue, we used a conventional series of shot-reverse-shots, while also encompassing a range of OTS and CU shots. from the perspective of the protagonist. (See other post for explanation of why we chose to use Polish.)
Now, the audience is introduced to the antagonist. It is an over-the-shoulder shot with Julek walking past in the background (juxtaposed in the frame by the cigarette), which represents his danger to the child; especially by not showing his face. Here, as the kidnapper's face is shown, the tense music begins.
[0:50] The forest scene begins with a canted angle shot, with the kidnapper following Julek into the frame in a sinister way, mirroring the malevolent way he enters the child's life. After this, there is a series of OTS shots from each of the kidnapper's and the boy's perspective. Alternating usage of high and low angles are used to show power and vulnerability respectively, while the pace of editing increase to create tension. The changes in the soundtrack reflect this, together with the dynamic camera work. The lack of stable tripod shots contrasts the rest of the very controlled, static opening sequence.
For the kidnapping itself, we used a discontinuous editing style to heighten the fragmentation of his world, while the slightly slowed down shots enable the audience to experiance the physicality of the kidnapping in a very graphic way. The sequence ends with a fadeout, creating an anticlimactic tension as to what happened next (narrative enigma).
[1:18] The Waterloo scene begins with a return to a shot of the train, reminding the audience of the tranquil opening two shots. This returning nature is emphasised by the use of the diegetic noise (like station announcements and high ambient noise). The two characters are then reintroduced, emerging through the crowd holding hands, juxtaposing the last way they were shown to the audience.
Our second use of dialogue is a one way exchange from the kidnapper, representing his control and authority in the relationship, represented through the extremely low angle shot, with Julek in the side of the frame.
We then slow down the pace of anxiety and tension with two, drawn out shots of Julek on his own. This again allows the audience to relate with the protagonist and empathise in a more powerful way, particularly with the use of the OTS shot showing the audience exactly what he his seeing.
[1:40] Our sequence ends with the kidnapper returning to his victim, again using a high angle to show his power. The final shot is a MCU of the feet of the two characters leaving the location, leaving many aspects of the narrative ambiguous, creating intrigue to draw the audience truly into the life of Julek.
This then flashes back (using a conventional white-out) to Julek in his house, before the incident. His makeup and costume have changed to a more stereotypical child. The editing pace changes to reflect his more innocent character, with a series of invisible continuity (often match-on) edits. Here we put in the title, to represent his ownership of the 'going'; that it is his metaphysical journey.
Then, we are introduced to his mother. She is dressed in an apron and fussing over a stove (see props/costume posts), using the mise-en scene to immediately establish her characterisation using archetypal features.
During the dialogue, we used a conventional series of shot-reverse-shots, while also encompassing a range of OTS and CU shots. from the perspective of the protagonist. (See other post for explanation of why we chose to use Polish.)
Now, the audience is introduced to the antagonist. It is an over-the-shoulder shot with Julek walking past in the background (juxtaposed in the frame by the cigarette), which represents his danger to the child; especially by not showing his face. Here, as the kidnapper's face is shown, the tense music begins.
[0:50] The forest scene begins with a canted angle shot, with the kidnapper following Julek into the frame in a sinister way, mirroring the malevolent way he enters the child's life. After this, there is a series of OTS shots from each of the kidnapper's and the boy's perspective. Alternating usage of high and low angles are used to show power and vulnerability respectively, while the pace of editing increase to create tension. The changes in the soundtrack reflect this, together with the dynamic camera work. The lack of stable tripod shots contrasts the rest of the very controlled, static opening sequence.
For the kidnapping itself, we used a discontinuous editing style to heighten the fragmentation of his world, while the slightly slowed down shots enable the audience to experiance the physicality of the kidnapping in a very graphic way. The sequence ends with a fadeout, creating an anticlimactic tension as to what happened next (narrative enigma).
[1:18] The Waterloo scene begins with a return to a shot of the train, reminding the audience of the tranquil opening two shots. This returning nature is emphasised by the use of the diegetic noise (like station announcements and high ambient noise). The two characters are then reintroduced, emerging through the crowd holding hands, juxtaposing the last way they were shown to the audience.
Our second use of dialogue is a one way exchange from the kidnapper, representing his control and authority in the relationship, represented through the extremely low angle shot, with Julek in the side of the frame.
We then slow down the pace of anxiety and tension with two, drawn out shots of Julek on his own. This again allows the audience to relate with the protagonist and empathise in a more powerful way, particularly with the use of the OTS shot showing the audience exactly what he his seeing.
[1:40] Our sequence ends with the kidnapper returning to his victim, again using a high angle to show his power. The final shot is a MCU of the feet of the two characters leaving the location, leaving many aspects of the narrative ambiguous, creating intrigue to draw the audience truly into the life of Julek.
Genre and Target Audience
As a sub-genre, Psychological Drama is often a vehicle for hybrid films, encompassing complex characters, dramatic events or even large-scale finales. Thus, the balance of such films are delicate, with each decision (in filming and editing) upsetting this balance, and tilting the film more towards a certain, more widespread genre, such as action or thriller.
Due to this ever-changing definition of psychological films, the target audience is also amorphous, and changes with each movie. This means that for our film, we had no pre-determined genre-specific target audience (such as romcoms being aimed at adult women, and horror flicks for young adults), and were therefore able to let our film define its own audience.
It is aimed at anyone from young adult to old age, any gender. It deals with specific, unique events with stories that can apply universally (with themes such as family, love, friendship). However, the foreign language and those darker, heavily-debated/opinionated themes (namely, child kidnapping) make this very much a non-mainstream film, intended for audiences who enjoy such films.
Due to this ever-changing definition of psychological films, the target audience is also amorphous, and changes with each movie. This means that for our film, we had no pre-determined genre-specific target audience (such as romcoms being aimed at adult women, and horror flicks for young adults), and were therefore able to let our film define its own audience.
It is aimed at anyone from young adult to old age, any gender. It deals with specific, unique events with stories that can apply universally (with themes such as family, love, friendship). However, the foreign language and those darker, heavily-debated/opinionated themes (namely, child kidnapping) make this very much a non-mainstream film, intended for audiences who enjoy such films.
Music
After looking into the different options provided to us (such as mobygratis and other such license-free film music), we decided to create our own music. We were musically intelligent and very capable with the intuitive GarageBand software, which we chose to use as it allowed us to create our own score from scratch, and edit it to fit in with the exact timings of our film (which would be near impossible with pre-created music).
We created two pieces of music for our sequence (for the forest and Waterloo scenes), leaving the opening to be an unassuming silence. They were extremely contrasting, compared to other film scores which aim to create continuity in the soundtrack, which help represent how completely different the two sequences are (see other post).
Forest:
Mainly string instruments, with drawn out notes to create tension, and stabbing motions that stand as a somewhat out-of-place homage to Psycho's shower scene. We contrasted this with a synthesiser beat to symbolize the amalgamation of their two lives. This unusual decision
Waterloo:
The intricate piano here had a very slow tempo, dismissing the effects of the otherwise disturbing melody. We chose to use this here as it serves as the soundtrack to the moment where the audience realises that Julek is irrevocably displaced, isolated, and detached from his innocent life as a child.
However, the music making process was not without its problems. Although the software was easy to use, we found it quite a challenge to make a score which would signify the emotions on screen to the audience. I think that had we had more time to focus just on the soundtrack, we perhaps would have been able to create something more fitting, distinctive and effective.
We created two pieces of music for our sequence (for the forest and Waterloo scenes), leaving the opening to be an unassuming silence. They were extremely contrasting, compared to other film scores which aim to create continuity in the soundtrack, which help represent how completely different the two sequences are (see other post).
Forest:
Mainly string instruments, with drawn out notes to create tension, and stabbing motions that stand as a somewhat out-of-place homage to Psycho's shower scene. We contrasted this with a synthesiser beat to symbolize the amalgamation of their two lives. This unusual decision
Waterloo:
The intricate piano here had a very slow tempo, dismissing the effects of the otherwise disturbing melody. We chose to use this here as it serves as the soundtrack to the moment where the audience realises that Julek is irrevocably displaced, isolated, and detached from his innocent life as a child.
However, the music making process was not without its problems. Although the software was easy to use, we found it quite a challenge to make a score which would signify the emotions on screen to the audience. I think that had we had more time to focus just on the soundtrack, we perhaps would have been able to create something more fitting, distinctive and effective.
Contrasting the Forest Scene and the Waterloo Scene
Sound and Music
The soundtrack is very different in the two scenes (see post on Music). We also manipulated the level of ambient noise left on the sequence. Whereas the forest scene is almost silent beneath the score, we created a higher level of ambient noise at Waterloo. This is used to signify how fragmented and 'confused' his mind has become.
Camerawork
The use of shots and camerawork is also juxtaposed in the two scenes. Whereas the forest scene uses very dynamic camerawork, the Waterloo scene is static and tranquil, not to represent the feelings of the characters, but more to mediate to the audience the moods of the scene.
However, the shot types we used were generally consistent throughout. We used high angle/low angle shots throughout to show contrasting power and control/vulnerability and sympathetic ideals respectively. We aimed to use a variety of LS/MS/CU etc over the whole opening sequence, and as a result there are examples of all in both scenes. However, we used them for different reasons. For example, the CUs in the forest scene are for fragmentation, dynamism and tension, whereas at Waterloo the CUs are used to evoke empathy for Julek.
Editing
In the forest scene, the editing style is quick, and at the end, discontinuous, whereas the Waterloo scene is tranquil, more lengthy, and continuous in style. This I've explained in the analysis post.
The soundtrack is very different in the two scenes (see post on Music). We also manipulated the level of ambient noise left on the sequence. Whereas the forest scene is almost silent beneath the score, we created a higher level of ambient noise at Waterloo. This is used to signify how fragmented and 'confused' his mind has become.
Camerawork
The use of shots and camerawork is also juxtaposed in the two scenes. Whereas the forest scene uses very dynamic camerawork, the Waterloo scene is static and tranquil, not to represent the feelings of the characters, but more to mediate to the audience the moods of the scene.
However, the shot types we used were generally consistent throughout. We used high angle/low angle shots throughout to show contrasting power and control/vulnerability and sympathetic ideals respectively. We aimed to use a variety of LS/MS/CU etc over the whole opening sequence, and as a result there are examples of all in both scenes. However, we used them for different reasons. For example, the CUs in the forest scene are for fragmentation, dynamism and tension, whereas at Waterloo the CUs are used to evoke empathy for Julek.
Editing
In the forest scene, the editing style is quick, and at the end, discontinuous, whereas the Waterloo scene is tranquil, more lengthy, and continuous in style. This I've explained in the analysis post.
Development of Ideas: Diary (3)
UPDATE
Cut that down to about 1 minute, by removing certain 'boring' shots of Julek in his house, and when they are walking towards forest. To compensate for the time ellipses, we added in certain shots, such as the insert of his mother at the stove.
UPDATE
Added the Waterloo scene, time ended up at 1:45, which although was shorter than the target, we felt proud that we had created a concise sequence with all the interesting shots we wanted, all the sequences we filmed, and without overdoing anthing for the sake of it.
UPDATE
We spent a lot of time creating the music in garageband and making sure the levels of ambient sound were appropriate and continuous.
UPDATE
We had a lot of problems with the subtitles and titles sequence, so we had to export the movie as a whole before adding it to livetype to add the titles. With those now added, the movie was complete, and we exported it as a .mov file.
Development of Ideas: Diary (2)
UPDATE
Due to problems getting permission to film at Greenwich station, we have had to abandon a short scene of dialogue between Jakub and Julek. We have discussed and re-orded our storyboard to overcome this problem, and. This was probably for the better, as we had already shot a lot of footage and ideas.
UPDATE
Finished Filming: 199 shots total. Uploading to iMovie was frustrating and slow, but manageable after working out the PAL/NTSC problem.
UPDATE
Began editing. We labelled the shots we wanted to use, the ones we could use, and the 'mistake' shots that we weren't. We placed the scenes into a generic narrative order (we still are yet to decided how/when to do the flashbacks). This produced a 25 minute long raw sequence.
UPDATE
Ended up with a 2:45 sequence before even utilising the Waterloo scenes.
Explanation of Stockholm Syndrome (and our reasons for making a film about it)
o Stockholm Syndrome is a condition in which a hostage or victim falls in love with their captor, either due to physiological dependence or from lack of abuse/kindness. Named after a bank robbery in the eponymous city, psychiatrist Frank Ochberg defined it as "a primitive gratitude for the gift of life, not unlike that felt by an infant"
Contextually, SS being represented in contemporary media has been overshadowed by the threat of terrorism. Although SS has been attributed to paedophilic 'grooming' techniques, it appears film studios are more concerned with post-9/11 cinema, with films like 'Vantage Point' and 'Hurt Locker'.
o I think that overall, 'Psychological Drama' is a genre often ignored by filmmakers. Those in smaller independant studios focus more on creating gritty realism (like 'Fish Tank'), whereas larger big-budget studios tend to dismiss any sort of complex film, and prefer to make Thrillers with a psychological "backbone", as it were, to make the film unique and interesting, such as 'Fight Club', 'Sixth Sense' or 'Memento'. These films also tend to have unjustifiably high budgets, with 'The Number 23' costing $30million to make.
That said, SS is not a completely new concept to cinema. Even the Die Hard and James Bond franchises have made references to it, if only for a plot twist. However, 'The Collector' (1965) and 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) both deal with it directly, and there are a handful more (although very few are commercially successful).
o To us, the important distinguisher in our sequence is that there is no implication of a sexual relationship between the two (choosing a boy rather than a female child actor for this reason). We also avoided the 21st Century cliche of doing a film involving the internet/mobile phones. However, to play on society's fear of child-abduction (especially as us and our peers are 16-17), we left the kidnapper's motive ambiguous, contrasting his sinister malevolence in the forest with the hand holding at Waterloo, and his rough treatment contrasted with getting him a drink. We also decided to have no Father for Julek, to bring in ideas of dependence and parent/pseudo-parent relationships.
Contextually, SS being represented in contemporary media has been overshadowed by the threat of terrorism. Although SS has been attributed to paedophilic 'grooming' techniques, it appears film studios are more concerned with post-9/11 cinema, with films like 'Vantage Point' and 'Hurt Locker'.
o I think that overall, 'Psychological Drama' is a genre often ignored by filmmakers. Those in smaller independant studios focus more on creating gritty realism (like 'Fish Tank'), whereas larger big-budget studios tend to dismiss any sort of complex film, and prefer to make Thrillers with a psychological "backbone", as it were, to make the film unique and interesting, such as 'Fight Club', 'Sixth Sense' or 'Memento'. These films also tend to have unjustifiably high budgets, with 'The Number 23' costing $30million to make.
That said, SS is not a completely new concept to cinema. Even the Die Hard and James Bond franchises have made references to it, if only for a plot twist. However, 'The Collector' (1965) and 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) both deal with it directly, and there are a handful more (although very few are commercially successful).
o To us, the important distinguisher in our sequence is that there is no implication of a sexual relationship between the two (choosing a boy rather than a female child actor for this reason). We also avoided the 21st Century cliche of doing a film involving the internet/mobile phones. However, to play on society's fear of child-abduction (especially as us and our peers are 16-17), we left the kidnapper's motive ambiguous, contrasting his sinister malevolence in the forest with the hand holding at Waterloo, and his rough treatment contrasted with getting him a drink. We also decided to have no Father for Julek, to bring in ideas of dependence and parent/pseudo-parent relationships.
Title Decision
After a long process of brain storming for the final title of our opening sequence (see other post), we finally decided on 'Going'. We looked into using a Polish title, yet we felt the translations failed to communicate the main message (and were difficult to pronounce for our audience). The title represents the characters' physical and metaphorical journeys. It is purposefully ambiguous, not lending itself to situations, events, genders or definition. By this, it also signifies the key enigma of our opening sequence: Why has this happened?
Original Story Board
After creating our first idea, we made this storyboard. It details much of the ideas which were included in our final film (such as the house scene/dialogue, the forest scene, and the train scene flashbacks (shown by the jagged lines). It also includes a lot of shots that we filmed, but ultimately discarded in the final edit, such as establishing shots of the house, Julek's shadowed journey, interesting angles in the forest, and a more detailed scene on the train (which we eventually substituted for the Waterloo scene (see other post)).
Sound
We had several problems with ambient noise during filming. In the forest sequence, wind noise provided a continual problem (especially due to the varying degrees of camera/mic movement), as we had to keep it a constant in the final edit (to create a believable diegesis), yet also keep it at a lower level than the soundtrack.
This was also a significant problem at Waterloo, where there were constant announcements and lots of crowd noise inside the station. To overcome this problem, we extracted the audio from an insignificant section of tape, and then turned this into a loopable, consistent ambient track which we could keep as a constant for the scene. This reflected not only the chaos of the setting (we left it at a much higher level than the ambient noise in the forest scene), but also the conflicted mind of the protagonist, shown through the closeup/overtheshoulder shots.
When doing the edit between the forest and the station, we matched the soundtrack to the fadeout, and then preceded the fadein with the sound acting as a semi-sound bridge, to not only connect the scenes (containing the same two characters), but also to ease the harshness of the transition between two completely contrasting locations, creating a somewhat overlap of time and a flowing style.
This was also a significant problem at Waterloo, where there were constant announcements and lots of crowd noise inside the station. To overcome this problem, we extracted the audio from an insignificant section of tape, and then turned this into a loopable, consistent ambient track which we could keep as a constant for the scene. This reflected not only the chaos of the setting (we left it at a much higher level than the ambient noise in the forest scene), but also the conflicted mind of the protagonist, shown through the closeup/overtheshoulder shots.
When doing the edit between the forest and the station, we matched the soundtrack to the fadeout, and then preceded the fadein with the sound acting as a semi-sound bridge, to not only connect the scenes (containing the same two characters), but also to ease the harshness of the transition between two completely contrasting locations, creating a somewhat overlap of time and a flowing style.
Stills From Research and Production
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| Actress Anna Rzeczycka who plays mother in our film "Going". In this photo she is portrayed as typical old style mother with apron on. She is surrounded by all typical kitchen appliances which makes it easier for audience to know what character she represents. |
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| Still of the kitchen location during research for our opening sequence. |
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| This is the front of the house from mother's point of view. This kind of shot was meant to be used for his sister's character, but after long debate we decided that she is not needed in order to pass main message to the audience. |
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| The front of the house from kidnapper's point of view. (See the stills video post for more.) |
Theme
The main theme of our film is the portrayal of the relationship between the kidnapper and Julek. By having this as the central theme as it drives the film away from a generic crime/psy thrillers such as 'Taken' or ''Man on Fire'. When we started to elaborate our idea of the relationship we gathered information on Stockholm Syndrome (see other post). Through this information we could make the relationship between Julek and the kidnapper more realistic, which was key to creating a film with strong narrative, verisimilitude and emotions.
Black and White
Origianly, we planned to have either the dream or the real life sequence in black and white, to give an immersive feel that is at first not encourageing, but ultimately enhance the ideas, themes and morals of the film. This desicision was inspired by several emotionally complex modern films, with somewhat deeper narratives than typical American blockbusters, such as Control (2007), American History X (1998) or Pi (1998).
However, our definitive usage of black and white sequences juxtaposed with colour sequences was more directly inspired by such narrative techniques used in memento (2000) and Johnny Got His Gun (1971). It is able to provide direct contrasts between the two sequences, and evoke audience discussion about how such decisions can intensify the binary opposites and themes explored in the film.
Our two options were thus:
1) Have the flashbacks in black and white, to represent the simpler, more clear cut life of Julek, and the present sequences in colour, to help modern audiences become involved with the complex narrative, or;
2) Have the present sequences in black and white, to signify the gritty reality that is now his life, and the flashbacks in colour, to evoke empathic feelings of nostalgia.
However, we previewed a selection of our shots in iMovie, and played them in black and white. Unfortunately, the final product was a mess. It was as if sucking the colours out of the shots also sucked the life out of them, and they became fuzzy, blurringly-focused scenes rather than the sharp photographic images we had hoped to emulate. The results were so uninspiring that we abandoned the idea of using black and white to distinguish between the sequences, and instead looked at rapid white-fades as a (somewhat overdone, but successful trope) method of representing a flashback.
However, our definitive usage of black and white sequences juxtaposed with colour sequences was more directly inspired by such narrative techniques used in memento (2000) and Johnny Got His Gun (1971). It is able to provide direct contrasts between the two sequences, and evoke audience discussion about how such decisions can intensify the binary opposites and themes explored in the film.
Our two options were thus:
1) Have the flashbacks in black and white, to represent the simpler, more clear cut life of Julek, and the present sequences in colour, to help modern audiences become involved with the complex narrative, or;
2) Have the present sequences in black and white, to signify the gritty reality that is now his life, and the flashbacks in colour, to evoke empathic feelings of nostalgia.
However, we previewed a selection of our shots in iMovie, and played them in black and white. Unfortunately, the final product was a mess. It was as if sucking the colours out of the shots also sucked the life out of them, and they became fuzzy, blurringly-focused scenes rather than the sharp photographic images we had hoped to emulate. The results were so uninspiring that we abandoned the idea of using black and white to distinguish between the sequences, and instead looked at rapid white-fades as a (somewhat overdone, but successful trope) method of representing a flashback.
Development of Ideas: Diary (1)
After a brainstorm about genres and narrative ideas, we ruled out anything which might be considered cheap, cliched or overdone, (such as drug deals). We also ruled out doing a thriller opening sequence, because although the generic conventions are very easy to recreate and/or manipulate, we felt a more complex and challenging sequence would be more enjoyable to both make and watch.
UPDATE
We have decided on a psychological drama, focusing on the relationship between a kidnapper and his victim. The idea of Stockholm Syndrome (as it is known) is not necessarily new or exciting in the world of cinema, yet we think that it is a refreshing way of subverting the cliched idea of a kidnapping/thriller genre opening sequence, possibly through the use of flashbacks (as time ellipsis) to show the development of their relationship.
UPDATE
Luckily, we have been able to secure a ten year old child actor to play the part of the boy, and a forty year old woman to play his mother. This will help us immerse the audience in our diegesis, as we believe a common problem is that by having students starring in student films, it hinders the audience's ability to suspend their disbelief. However, we are yet to find someone to play the kidnapper (although, Jakub, as an actor, has agreed to take the part if nobody else suitable can be found, as he has experience and and older look).
UPDATE
Done the location research, and finalised actors, costumes and shooting schedule (see other post).
UPDATE
We added a new scene, taking place at Waterloo station. By adding dialogue, we can juxtapose this directly with the other dialogue scene between Julek and his Mother, creating tension and binary opposites between his two relationships with these adults.
UPDATE
We have decided on a psychological drama, focusing on the relationship between a kidnapper and his victim. The idea of Stockholm Syndrome (as it is known) is not necessarily new or exciting in the world of cinema, yet we think that it is a refreshing way of subverting the cliched idea of a kidnapping/thriller genre opening sequence, possibly through the use of flashbacks (as time ellipsis) to show the development of their relationship.
UPDATE
Luckily, we have been able to secure a ten year old child actor to play the part of the boy, and a forty year old woman to play his mother. This will help us immerse the audience in our diegesis, as we believe a common problem is that by having students starring in student films, it hinders the audience's ability to suspend their disbelief. However, we are yet to find someone to play the kidnapper (although, Jakub, as an actor, has agreed to take the part if nobody else suitable can be found, as he has experience and and older look).
UPDATE
Done the location research, and finalised actors, costumes and shooting schedule (see other post).
UPDATE
We added a new scene, taking place at Waterloo station. By adding dialogue, we can juxtapose this directly with the other dialogue scene between Julek and his Mother, creating tension and binary opposites between his two relationships with these adults.
Filming Schedule
Wednesday 23rd Feb
House Scene
- At 47 Stroud Crescent, Roehampton Vale
This is the opening segment of our sequence, and forms the 'dream' which Julek is having.
We need to film several external establishing shots of the location, and then film the entire exchange between mother and son several times, from all the necessary angles/distances. We need to remember to include at least one close-up reel, and think about how angles can establish relationships of power between the characters.
Julek: Wearing nice, clean clothes representing how his youth and innocence is uncorrupted at this point. This is supported by the footballing props in the mise-en-scene to show the themes of hopes and dreams, and to establish how his home is a sanctuary for his character.
Mother: wearing archetypal, practical 'motherly' clothes, like an apron, to introduce her as a caring mother stock character.
Wednesday 23rd Fed
Forest Scene
- At Roehampton Vale
This is the climactic part of the sequence, which aims to contrast the boy's world and the world of the kidnapper. We need to film several reels of close ups to demonstrate the dynamism of the scene, which we could then use for jump cuts to give a fragmented and distressing feel.
Julek: Same costume, but becomes more distressed as the chase goes on.
Kidnapper: Dark, old clothes to signify his character.
Friday 25th Feb
Train Scene
- On a SouthWest Train
This is the 'real world' of the diegesis, and will be cross-cut with the dramatic sequence to disorientate the viewer. It takes place a few months on from the flashbacked sequence, during which the relationship between the boy and his kidnapper has developed. They have been living together on the road, but the audience is ignorant to this. This allows us to end our sequence with a heart-stopping moment when the kidnapper is reunited on screen with his captee, but the boy will not react adversely.
Julek: Dirtied face, more faded clothes and looking older and more mature beyond his age. This signifies the abandonment of his youthful identity
Kidnapper: Similar costume.
Friday 25th Feb
Station Scene
- At Waterloo Station
Same as above. This will also allow us to take crowd shots at the restless station, taking inspiration from the opening airport montage in 'Love Actually'. Such montages enable us to create moods, tones, themes and ideas as well as narrative enigma, without necessarily forcing the narrative along. Permission was easy to obtain on the day from the station office.
Julek and Kidnapper: Same costume as above.
Saturday 5th March
Bench Scene
- Greenwich Station
Unfortunately, due to permission/licensing problems on the day (unlike at Waterloo), we were forced to extend our shooting schedule to allow us to lawfully film everything we needed to. Thankfully, this was an extremely short scene and would not have taken us long to shoot (only highlighting the futility of the necessary permission). Again, we had planned to film lots of pathos-inducing close ups, and be very aware of how high/low angles could be used to construct fear or sympathy. However, as explained in the other post, we were not able to shoot this scene - although we are not disheartened.
House Scene
- At 47 Stroud Crescent, Roehampton Vale
This is the opening segment of our sequence, and forms the 'dream' which Julek is having.
We need to film several external establishing shots of the location, and then film the entire exchange between mother and son several times, from all the necessary angles/distances. We need to remember to include at least one close-up reel, and think about how angles can establish relationships of power between the characters.
Julek: Wearing nice, clean clothes representing how his youth and innocence is uncorrupted at this point. This is supported by the footballing props in the mise-en-scene to show the themes of hopes and dreams, and to establish how his home is a sanctuary for his character.
Mother: wearing archetypal, practical 'motherly' clothes, like an apron, to introduce her as a caring mother stock character.
Wednesday 23rd Fed
Forest Scene
- At Roehampton Vale
This is the climactic part of the sequence, which aims to contrast the boy's world and the world of the kidnapper. We need to film several reels of close ups to demonstrate the dynamism of the scene, which we could then use for jump cuts to give a fragmented and distressing feel.
Julek: Same costume, but becomes more distressed as the chase goes on.
Kidnapper: Dark, old clothes to signify his character.
Friday 25th Feb
Train Scene
- On a SouthWest Train
This is the 'real world' of the diegesis, and will be cross-cut with the dramatic sequence to disorientate the viewer. It takes place a few months on from the flashbacked sequence, during which the relationship between the boy and his kidnapper has developed. They have been living together on the road, but the audience is ignorant to this. This allows us to end our sequence with a heart-stopping moment when the kidnapper is reunited on screen with his captee, but the boy will not react adversely.
Julek: Dirtied face, more faded clothes and looking older and more mature beyond his age. This signifies the abandonment of his youthful identity
Kidnapper: Similar costume.
Friday 25th Feb
Station Scene
- At Waterloo Station
Same as above. This will also allow us to take crowd shots at the restless station, taking inspiration from the opening airport montage in 'Love Actually'. Such montages enable us to create moods, tones, themes and ideas as well as narrative enigma, without necessarily forcing the narrative along. Permission was easy to obtain on the day from the station office.
Julek and Kidnapper: Same costume as above.
Saturday 5th March
Bench Scene
- Greenwich Station
Unfortunately, due to permission/licensing problems on the day (unlike at Waterloo), we were forced to extend our shooting schedule to allow us to lawfully film everything we needed to. Thankfully, this was an extremely short scene and would not have taken us long to shoot (only highlighting the futility of the necessary permission). Again, we had planned to film lots of pathos-inducing close ups, and be very aware of how high/low angles could be used to construct fear or sympathy. However, as explained in the other post, we were not able to shoot this scene - although we are not disheartened.
Title Brainstorm
While editing, to take breaks from the mind-numbing perfectionist repetition of the more menial bits, we discussed possible titles for our film. Below, we've summarised a few of a the suggestions with their pros and cons.
Stockholm Syndrome
+ Relates to the content, demonstrates the emotional bond that is the centrepoint for the film.
+ Psychological term represents how the kidnapper's malevolence evolves into a relationship, and reflects the genre.
- Confusing for viewers, combining a Swedish town for the title with a Polish family in an English home.
1992
+ The ambiguity can be used to generate marketing hype.
- The year is somewhat irrelevant for viewers in regards to the content and narrative of the film.
- 'Year' titles are cliched unless the year itself is significant to the narrative (see 1984, 2012, 1966).
Anywhere
+ Makes use of dialogue in the film, which could be used as a motif.
- The subtext doesn't relate to the narrative, and doesn't foreshadow the darker nature of the film.
Julek
+ Demonstrates that this film is character-based rather than a visual spectacle.
- 'Name-in-Title' films are generic conventions of comedies, such as "Borat", "Shrek" or "Austin Powers".
Trapped
+ Blunt and emotive
- Signifies a thriller or horror movie, rather than a psychological drama.
Pieces
+ Can represent how the child's life has been disrupted.
- Slightly ambiguous, dull and unemotive.
Broken Dreams
+ Uses the key narrative theme.
- 'Emo'; depressing and pessimistic - doesn't offer hope for the viewer.
(See title post for our last minute deliberations and final decision.)
Stockholm Syndrome
+ Relates to the content, demonstrates the emotional bond that is the centrepoint for the film.
+ Psychological term represents how the kidnapper's malevolence evolves into a relationship, and reflects the genre.
- Confusing for viewers, combining a Swedish town for the title with a Polish family in an English home.
1992
+ The ambiguity can be used to generate marketing hype.
- The year is somewhat irrelevant for viewers in regards to the content and narrative of the film.
- 'Year' titles are cliched unless the year itself is significant to the narrative (see 1984, 2012, 1966).
Anywhere
+ Makes use of dialogue in the film, which could be used as a motif.
- The subtext doesn't relate to the narrative, and doesn't foreshadow the darker nature of the film.
Julek
+ Demonstrates that this film is character-based rather than a visual spectacle.
- 'Name-in-Title' films are generic conventions of comedies, such as "Borat", "Shrek" or "Austin Powers".
Trapped
+ Blunt and emotive
- Signifies a thriller or horror movie, rather than a psychological drama.
Pieces
+ Can represent how the child's life has been disrupted.
- Slightly ambiguous, dull and unemotive.
Broken Dreams
+ Uses the key narrative theme.
- 'Emo'; depressing and pessimistic - doesn't offer hope for the viewer.
(See title post for our last minute deliberations and final decision.)
Characters
The Child
Played by Julek, this young boy is the protagonist of the film. Julek has a dream of being a professional footballer, which is demonstrated to the audience by the mise en scene of his room, and his costume. This is easily identifiable for audiences, and enables us to foreshadow ideas of themes of dreams/reality/expectations/hope in a stereotypical way. By subverting this dream, we can (sub textually) create pathos for the boy as his dream is crushed dramatically after being kidnapped by the main antagonist - as even though they form a positive relationship.
Costume: Typically youthful at the start of the film. however as we see Julek's world collide with the kidnappers, the audience see Julek's clothes become more dirty, rugged and aged for example Julek's face will become dirty as opposed to him at the start when he had a clean face to represent his simplistic world however now his world has been corrupted.
The Kidnapper
Portrayed as somewhat of an omnipotent, malevolent antagonist. The kidnapper is dark character which takes Julek from his calm and comfortable place and changes everything around in Julek's life. Throughout the film, the kidnapper introduces Julek into the harsh world of sleeping roug, where the audience sees a relationship stem between the kidnapper and Julek. The kidnapper starts to see Julek as a younger brother, and due to their relationship, we see the downfall of Jakub's character.
Costume: The kidnapper's costume consists of dark, basic working class type of clothing which reflects on his style of life. We chose to have kidnapper's clothing very dirty to show the audience that his from deceived background which his costume represents really well in the opening sequence.
The Mother
Anna Rzeczycka portrays the child's mother, and acts as his only link to his innocent childhood. Through his imagination and vivid dreams, she reminds the child of his past life which was so simple and calm, whereas now, Julek dragged is into a life of discontent and danger where his mother cannot help him.
Costume: We wanted the mother costume to represent the ideological view of a typical mother, and so decided to have Anna wearing casual jeans and a blouse, representing her femininity. It was also imperative to have Anna in a apron and to be cooking, as we believed that this would portray the stereotypical view of a woman caring for her child. We wanted the audience to see this through mother's costume allowing them to emathise with her experiences when her son is taken.
Played by Julek, this young boy is the protagonist of the film. Julek has a dream of being a professional footballer, which is demonstrated to the audience by the mise en scene of his room, and his costume. This is easily identifiable for audiences, and enables us to foreshadow ideas of themes of dreams/reality/expectations/hope in a stereotypical way. By subverting this dream, we can (sub textually) create pathos for the boy as his dream is crushed dramatically after being kidnapped by the main antagonist - as even though they form a positive relationship.
Costume: Typically youthful at the start of the film. however as we see Julek's world collide with the kidnappers, the audience see Julek's clothes become more dirty, rugged and aged for example Julek's face will become dirty as opposed to him at the start when he had a clean face to represent his simplistic world however now his world has been corrupted.
The Kidnapper
Portrayed as somewhat of an omnipotent, malevolent antagonist. The kidnapper is dark character which takes Julek from his calm and comfortable place and changes everything around in Julek's life. Throughout the film, the kidnapper introduces Julek into the harsh world of sleeping roug, where the audience sees a relationship stem between the kidnapper and Julek. The kidnapper starts to see Julek as a younger brother, and due to their relationship, we see the downfall of Jakub's character.
Costume: The kidnapper's costume consists of dark, basic working class type of clothing which reflects on his style of life. We chose to have kidnapper's clothing very dirty to show the audience that his from deceived background which his costume represents really well in the opening sequence.
The Mother
Anna Rzeczycka portrays the child's mother, and acts as his only link to his innocent childhood. Through his imagination and vivid dreams, she reminds the child of his past life which was so simple and calm, whereas now, Julek dragged is into a life of discontent and danger where his mother cannot help him.
Costume: We wanted the mother costume to represent the ideological view of a typical mother, and so decided to have Anna wearing casual jeans and a blouse, representing her femininity. It was also imperative to have Anna in a apron and to be cooking, as we believed that this would portray the stereotypical view of a woman caring for her child. We wanted the audience to see this through mother's costume allowing them to emathise with her experiences when her son is taken.
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