Center Number: The Sheffield College, 220

Candidate Number: 101631

Pathway: UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology-TV, Film & SFX pathway

How narratives are structured within the action genre

This is an area which should be explored as my specific idea is often better suited to that of a feature length production as opposed to that of a short film. Through compiling  information and useful insights into screenwriting, my understanding of setting up an effective narrative will be further developed.

Screenwriting is one of my passions as I enjoy the idea of being able to create a story and artistically deliver it to your chosen audience. It is extremely relevant to my final major project as I am approaching a fictional piece which requires events to be planned and characters to be given voices. Having already wrote the script, I can identify the layout of a professionally produced script as well as separate stage directions from dialogue.

However, with regards to finding sources which directly discuss screenwriting within the chosen genre, I find that I would be limited of points to discuss. Often, genre can be rather vague when researching screenwriting and usually more points are raised concerning the methods of screen writing as opposed to how it changes depending on the style of film. Also, when approaching the experimentation, I do not believe that I would be able to justify any hypothesis I would make regarding structured narratives with the action genre. As a whole, research would be very limited.

Effectively directing a scene and setting a tone

Having had past experience directing short film projects, I understand the pros and cons of taking on such a role and the difficulties which come with trying to achieve an exact idea. However, in exploring directing as a profession and how different directors set a certain mood, I will be able to conduct myself differently when translating my pre-production work into visuals. I believe that I will have a greater chance of maintaining my original idea when producing footage of it rather than the idea being completely remastered.

Directing is one of the roles I am aiming to eventually work in as it is very much the creative control of a project and allows you to make decisions and tell a story the way you find most effective. Also, studying this specific role will introduce me to methods of directing I had not been made aware of before and perhaps even positively impact my final major project, making it appear more professional and cinematic.

Whilst directing is a role I am extremely passionate about, I believe that the subject of ‘directing a scene’ would be a little too broad. Rather than being able to collect research which focuses on ‘setting the tone’ I believe that I would have too much information and very little of that information relevant to my central focus.

How editing creates emotional response:

Having completed my proof of concept, I now have added to my experience in the roles listed.  However, there is still a substantial amount to learn about editing not just as a profession but as a necessity and so in exploring this role in greater detail I believe that I will learn which methods are useful and which are unnecessary. I will also learn how editing can assist me in achieving my ambitions for my final major project.

Editing is a role I have often taken interest in and I have always made sure I took part in editing projects, be it through the visual effects elements, sound and even the composition of shots. Through studying this role in greater detail,  I believe that my final major project will be of a very high standard and sell my idea in a very professional and stylistic fashion. This will only add to my knowledge and perhaps even inspire other ideas to come to light.

Area for investigation:

For my investigative research, I have chosen the role of editing as it is an area of film making I feel intrigued to learn more about. At this current point in time, I am confident with my editing ability given feedback on my proof of concept where many stated that the editing made everything run smoothly. However, I am eager to study editing further for my final major project and perhaps establish my own style of editing. In terms of the role(s) I wish to work towards in the industry, I would say that directing and screen writing are more relevant. This, in some respects, is why I wish to study editing further; to establish my own style of editing and discover more about how emotions can be influenced.

Research:

For research I will read into two texts, naming Luis Morante’s, ‘Editing and Montage in International Film and Video’ and Walter Murch’s, ‘In the Blink of an Eye’. I will also refer to online articles from several different editors including Eddie Hamilton who has edited several of the influences for my proof of concept and final major project, ‘Richie’s Lost & found’.  I will refer to areas of the books which I found educated me on an area of editing I was not entirely familiar with. As well as this I will quote certain areas of the books which have relevance to statements I will have made. Quoting from these two books will essentially give more consistency to my writing piece and give more meaning to my investigation. I will also reference and quote the articles I read into and list potential suggestions and recommendations given in the articles, from industry professionals. I will then be able to refer to this when approaching my final major project.

Practical Experiment:

For my practical experiment I will shoot and edit a short scene, either inspired by or from my script, which depicts a moment of intense emotion. This will test my editing ability and ultimately evidence whether or not I understand building up tension in a scene and creating an emotional response from my target audience. This will only really last thirty to forty seconds at most. Looking at such a short time frame, this will really test my ability in creating such emotion with little time to build up to it. Audio will be very important in this experiment as there will be dialogue involved as opposed to my proof of concept where there was very little dialogue and focus on vocal recordings.

How this will develop me as a film maker:

I believe that in covering such an important and vital area of film making, I will develop my confidence in choosing shots which compliment each other whilst avoiding blatant continuity errors and breaks in pacing. I believe that my decision-making will be a lot more effective as I will be able to assess potential stage directions which should be different, during production, to make the post-production process easier and less confusing.

I believe that it will broaden my understanding of editing and allow me,  either as a director or writer, be able to address the editor on a technical level and give suggestions to better the project which is being worked on. Especially, for my final major project, I believe that this investigation into editing will strengthen the cinematic appearance of my final major project from the colour grading through to the lining up of shots during conversations between characters.

Studying across a variety of different roles in film making is important even if you are dedicated to one specific role. In delving into editing more, I believe that my directing will be improved upon when considering how my decisions will affect the appearance and effectiveness of shots during editing. I believe it will also improve my writing ability as I will be able to consider how events and directions in the script will impact the editing. This may be through the way I write a character’s movements from one end of shot to another or through writing in a stunt which requires fast cuts to achieve the full effect, intended.