Final Major Project Research&Planning
- bolajijayeola300
- Apr 18, 2017
- 10 min read
Rationale:
Over the course of the year I have completed 7 units, looking at various different aspects of media. I have developed my understanding of audiences and representation. Specifically looking at how audiences are attracted through the use of an interactive flash banner.
When I first came to South Thames I was unable to use a lot of the software and equipment, I was new to using cameras and tri-pods etc. also as of the time I arrived at south Thames I had never used any of the editing software but over the course of time I have improved my skills in both camera work and editing I still have some difficulties with editing however I have become more independent in using all software’s (premiere, after effects and Photoshop). Using premiere has become easy because it is my most used software furthermore I play about with the effects so now I know how to use most of the tools on premiere, I have still not learnt how to use after effects to the best of my abilities but I try to use it more frequently in my productions so I can improve my skills while doing so also when I first started this course using Photoshop was a struggle but with the help of my tutor I have made improvements in this field as well as others
Project concept:
Im going to produce a Mockumentary around 10-16 minutes however the 10-16 minutes will be split in two as my production is episodic, i will be working with my partner Andre Mensah in order to complete both episodes, We will be using a sony z7 camera to ensure our production has good quality. My production will be based mainly In Thornton Heath as it easily accessible and it used to be notorious for crimes. Our mockumentary is based around hoodlums commonly referred to as road-men which we will be imitating for us to get a laugh out the audience I will conduct primary and secondary research so i can find out what my audience wants to see and hear. I have been giving eight weeks to complete this project.Furthermore i have been asked to produce a poster for this production i will also do research to know what the common codes and conventions of posters for mockumentaries
Evaluation
I will evaluate my work weekly to highlight the pros and cons of my production, my weekly evaluations will be written in order to keep me and my tutor updated and highlight what needs to be done to make improvements and what needs to be dropped out
Project action plan & timetable
Initial ideas;
At first i had i wanted to create a short film about a deranged serial killer and his childhood and how his childhood impacted the decisions he makes now but i didn't think my time limit was enough to produce a short film with so much in it so I teamed up with one of my classmates in order to find something suitable to the time frame. My initial idea was a psychological thriller which would have been aimed at 16 - 25 year olds, my inspiration was Split ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84TouqfIsiI )
Another one of my initial ideas was about a mob boss who was put on trial for murder and was going to beat the case however a the court managed to get a hold of his right hand man and persuaded him to testify the right hand man tells the story of the murder and gets the mob boss convicted. This idea was inspired by "Gotti the Mob Boss"
Final outline of short film idea
I have chosen to create a short mockumentary around 5-8 minutes about a the stereotypical "Road man" (thug) , With my partner Andre Mensah, Our production is a two part mockumentary. this story is a visual representation about "Road-men" and the impact they have on society. The first episode will focus mainly on Andre Mensah whereas the second episode will revolve around me. I have aimed my production mainly at teenagers because i feel that teenagers will be able to relate to the mockumentary because they see "Road - men" on a day to day basis. for my secondary research i will watch mockumentary such as Angry Boys and Come fly with me to get the feel of how a mockumentary should be i will watch films about thugs to learn the common stereotype and apply that in my work, for my primary research i shall conduct a focus group and survey to know what my audience will want to see and how my characters should be perceived.
my mockumentary is about the stereotypical " Road-man" and the impact they have on the community my primary target audience is 16-25 year olds because they would be able to relate to my production more than the older generation however my secondary target audience would be parents so they understand how the streets of South London are and what they contain.
Secondary Research: some of the following films have conventions of the mockumentary genre and influenced me to include some codes and conventions in my short film.
"A mockumentary exploring the issues faced by young males in the 21st century - their influences, their pressures, their dreams and ambitions."
"Matt Lucas and David Walliams, the creators of this character-comedy sketch show, delight in all that is mad, bad, quirky and generally bonkers about the people and places of Britain"
"The Little Britain team parodies the various types of characters associated with life in a major British airport. That includes flight and ground staff from regular - and low budget airlines, as well as officials from customs and immigration, plus some colorful passengers, some up to no good either."
The clip above is a short sketch from Micael Dapaah who is a comedian, the clip shows him imitating the common "road man" he uses dress code and props to strengthen the stereotype the dialogue shows an illiterate " road man" who is argumentative and refuses to admit that he is wrong furthermore he is very aggressive in the way that he talks further reinforcing the stereotype of a typical "road man". Michael Dapaah's behavior has influenced me to be very forceful in my speech during my production seeing as that is the cliche also his costume code is effective in reinforcing the stereotype, the hoodie and the hat are common items of clothing for "road men". The style in particular is what caught me as it is raw & uncut as opposed to cinematic even though this sketch is staged it feels as if you are talking to Michael Dapaah, the direct dress makes it more realistic and i will aim to use this technique in my production
I was able to find the publisher and publication date for the video above:
Publisher: "Mo King" (youtube channel)
Publication date: March 22 2017
This hood documentary is a parody of everyday life in South London in this we come across the stereotypes of "cool people" in South London as the main actor "R.S" makes an attempt to be accepted by everyone for example he smokes with an old time accomplice even though he does not smoke furthermore he lies about having a girlfriend and recording music, in South London some of these things are regarded as respectable and "R.S" is on a quest for social power. What I've taken from this is to as cliche as possible that way i get to create fictional events which can help me to form my parody.
Some of " Hood Documentary" is shot in flats to give it a more urban feel i assume this is to imitate the projects in America which is notorious for violence and high crime rates, seeing as I live in flats i thought i can use this to my advantage to give my production the same feel as "Hood Documentary" as location is important in setting the scene and mood for the audience.
The poster for top boy is very plain but it speaks volumes if you look at it deeply. for starters the words top boy are placed across Ashely Walters subliminally connoting that he is the " Top Boy" furthermore his stance portrays dominance as he is standing militantly which also shows that he is the "Top Boy" and should not be taking lightly
Kane Robinson sitting on the stairs shows that he is comfortable on the concrete ground showing that he is tough furthermore those stairs are in a flat building similar to the American Projects where a lot of crime and violence is carried out this shows that he is at the top of the food chain because he can sit there without fear, this can be used in my poster to show the audience how the "Block" can build character but seeing as were mocking the "Road-Men" we can take the picture somewhere fancy to show the audience that we are overdoing it.
Last but not least Malcolm Kamulete (the character on the far left) is leaning on the wall this portrays that he is being supported and this could have a hidden meaning maybe he is dependant on one of the elders financially or maybe he has to look after the "block" when the elders are not around his stance is similar to that of a line graph maybe this means that he is on his way to becoming the top boy but there is something stopping him.
All in all this poster does not really relate to my production but i like the font as it shows bravery however my production is completely different to this so my font can be flimsy to connote unstableness or cowardliness, i also like the "Project Living" idea so i will take that into consideration when doing my poster. i want my poster to be fun and in your face so it connotes the comedy genre, with this poster you would know that this is a drama series as it looks like something tragic will eventually happen but it does not show the crime aspect of the series which is beneficial as it creates an enigma but it might deter people from watching it as it does not give all the information.
The reason i chose tis poster is because its the tv series is about prominent Road-Men who run there estate by causing havoc and i thought there would be some ideas i might be able to take and twist as my production is basically the opposite
The poster was found on " http://www.sidereel.com/tv-shows/top-boy/season-1 "
its a lot has a lot of vibrant colors which automatically catch the eye , you can automatically see that this is a comedy the color yellow is associated with happiness which links to the purpose of all comedies.
the characters facial expressions show that the film is a bit wacky and has a lot of humor in it . also the typography an the arrangement of the letters are subliminally tell you that the film is going to be dilemma or a bit of disorganization.
ultimately i think that a poster of this style will suit my production better.
i found a list of common South London slang that could be used for me to caricature my character as much as possible in order to fit into the stereotype perfectly.
Primary Research
My partner Andre & I conducted a focus group to find out how normal civilians perceive the stereotypical "road-man" they had similar opinions and were able to give us the sort of response i expected however Sherene contradicted some of the others opinions as she feels "road-men" no longer conform to the general stereotype and have changed there attire due to how they acquire their income. Chia was able to give us some common slang used by "road men" so i will ensure that i include the words she suggested to reinforce the stereotype. Malachi was able to give us a personal encounter Andre and I will try to incorporate a similar encounter in our work to make the mockumentary more interesting
Location Report
Risk Assessment
Costume
The top row shoes an assembly of clothing that will form to make my characters costume, as you can see the clothing is very informal and basic. The colour black normally connotes formality however the clothing in question is very relaxed and should not be considered formal.
The bottom row shows what Andre's character will be wearing his costume code is similar to mine as our characters serve similar purposes however for promotional purposes he has chosen to wear his own clothing brand which is urban streetwear this is beneficial in him reinforcing his characters stereotype.
Locations:
location is of paramount importance when it comes to establishing and setting the scene since my production is based in south london and is required to look "ghetto" due to its content I've chosen to shoot in flats as i said previously this is to imitate the projects in America, that way when my character mentions crime its as if its natural to him also it will be successful in helping establish the genre because people will naturally assume its crime or has something to do with it and my production is a crime related Mockumentary.
Another location that is crucial for me is Morleys which is a fast food chain if you up in this post you will see a screenshot from urban dictionary which says that road men commonly "chill" outside restaurants and my aim is to make my conform to the road men stereotype so i will do bit of filming outside the morleys to achieve this
Character Profile:
My character is an average teenager however he pretends to be antisocial and aggressive in order to attain respect in his community he goes by the nickname Shorty due to his height he's never really been the cool kid but he has made an attempt to change himself for hi to fit in on the gritty streets of south London. He is unemployed and but goes to work with his uncle to make a few pounds claims to get money from drug activity as it attracts females. He lives with his over protective mother who tries to keep him away but theres not much she can do to stop him.
Sounds:
I will be using foley in my production to incorporate my introduction and Outro, there will be no sound effects in my production as the style of my production is reality and not cinematic. my production will have theme songs to introduce the production. With regards to diegetic sound there will be music playing during the filming of my short film in some scenes to set the tone of my production.
Budget list:
TRANSPORT: All locations will be in the close vicinity so transport cos is practically irrelevant and can be discarded
PROPS:
COSTUMES: the costume for the character "Shorty" costs around £150-£200 for starters the Adidas tracksuit that will be worn in Dirty South Episode 2 costs £55.00 then the Nike Air Force ! sneakers that shorty will be wearing cost £75.00 also the Armani Jeans cross body messenger bag cost £50.00 and the hustlers proper hat he will be wearing cost £15.00
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