Final Major Project Evaluation

I started my project by conducting some secondary contextual research into other films that focus on betrayal such as ‘Paid in full’ by doing so it helped me to think of several ways I could portray my own work and helped me too think of my first few ideas. After watching a bunch of films I decided it was time to do some research into real life betrays that have taken place in history this was what really kicked start my thought process. From looking into a man called John Walker an individual who is famous for betraying his country (USA) to the Soviet Union; I gained a structure which was the starting point of my story. Following this I conducted some primary research by interviewing people, conducting and online survey and handing out surveys into what people really thought about betrayal, this gave me a real insight into what people expect and don’t expect.

After conducting our research me and my partner combined our findings to come up with our first story line which was focused around a male character who committed a crime and alongside that wronged his girlfriend who betrayed him without him knowing, it was to appear to the audience that another character was the one who committed the betrayal throughout the film, only revealing the true traitor at the end. The structure of this story was inspired by the story of John Walker.

Once we come up with our first story we began to look into locations and actors and really the reality of creating this idea. This is where we ran into our first problem which was a lack of actors. Although we searched hard we could find any female actors that were willing to play the part of the girlfriend who was a major role in the film. In order to solve this problem it would mean making vast changes to the story in order for it to work with just our few male friends that were willing to take part in the filming.

To solve the problem we had to replace the girlfriend character with someone that would be of equal importance to the main character so that we wouldn't lose the impact or shock the betrayal would have on the audience but be able to use a male character. After much thought we decided the best way to do this would be to make the character a family member; we decided a close cousin would be the best option mainly because it would be the most believable due to our actor’s appearances; a brother or father wouldn't be realistic.

Not long after we came up with a full achievable story and the last things to do was to find appropriate locations and plan shooting times which was the next problem as all our actors were peers and the majority of them were having exams so availability was an issue. We went out looking for locations and found some local parks and quiet streets for the outside shots, we also used a local corner shop for the shop scene and two of our friends housed for the inside shots.

Before I knew it I found myself in the fourth week with no footage due and only 3 weeks to go. Time was getting slim so me and my partner contacted all our actors and came up with a timetable so that we could have the required characters at the required times. In order for us make this achievable we had to change some of the actor’s roles to the less important ones; but in the end we had a plan of our shooting times which would mean us starting shooting immediately and  finishing shooting in the 6^th week of the FMP.

Once shooting began, we then faced our next problem, Mother Nature.  A lot of the shots we need required dry weather preferably quiet sunny but we was unfortunate and the weather was not on our side a lot of the time which just made planning and doing shots that a bit harder. But it wasn't just the rain that caused us problems due to our lack of equipment we didn't get a wind resistant microphone and there was a high winds a lot of the time this was a major issue when shooting outside especially out in the open. However after many takes we managed to get the shots and audio that we needed.

By the end of the 6^th week we had all the shots we needed and the last thing left was editing it all together.

During the editing stage we got feedback from one of our tutors and were advised to shorten our film as much of the film was build up and wasn't needed. So that’s what we did.  My partner and I decided together which parts of the film were vital and which parts where not really necessary. Following this we came up with a much short version of our film which stilled summed up the story as a whole.  

The majority of the work in the FMP was completed together as we needed to make decisions that would affect both our work. My individual input to the FMP was mainly in the production side as it’s my stronger point. I done the majority of the editing and in the film production we operated one camera each.

Final Major Project

Showreel Edit

Location Wreck

Reminiscing Scene Location - Woolwich, Greenwich

 

The Characters

Scene 1 - 4 1st Draft

Change in Characters

Due to actor availability we have made the decision to change the actor of the victim (Scott) to Character D (Ashlee).

Suspecion

Initial Murder Montage First draft

Scene 1 first draft

Opening Scene (News Report) First Draft

Script

Characters

 

 

Character A (Main Character) – the story is based around this character he is the most significant character in the film. Him and he’s cousin (Character B) commit the initial murder, this is shown in the flashbacks. Character A is the main person involved in the initial murder however character B was there making him just as guilty. Character A is the one who gets betrayed in the end however he is also a traitor because he killed one of his friend in the initial murder.

Character B – Character b is the cousin of character A and is the 2^nd most significant person in the film. He is the character that was with character A in the initial murder and due to his involvement the audience would assume that he couldn’t inform the police because he would also suffer consequences of the incident. Character B is the character that will in the end betray character A and the fact that he is his cousin makes it even harder hitting.

Character C – This character is the one the audience is made weary of he is the one who appears to be the snake in the grass and is the character that ‘A’ kills when he thinks that he informed the police about the initial murder.

Character D – A member of the group of friends, this character is used to establish to the audience that it was one of their friends that was killed (initial murder).

Victim – Character killed in initial murder. Only shown in flashbacks and pics on folder in interview at the end.

Detective – only partially shown at the end of the film in the revealing (interview), may not even have to be shown there and is not shown in the scene where he knocks on character As door; voice can or can’t be used doesn’t really matter.

Yet to give characters names.

 

 

 

 

 

Survey Results

We conducted the same survey in two different ways, an online survey and a real handout survey. The online survey hasn't been as successful as i hoped as not a lot of people have taken the time to answer it despite my efforts to get people to. however, the handout survey has been very successful and helpful.
We handed out 50 surveys to all different people of different ages and walks of life to get a good insight into how people think about betrayal.

Question 1 Results

These results indicate that we could possibly involve a past betrayal that has been forgiven but not forgotten or we could include the opposite a past betrayal that has been forgotten but not forgiven. It also tells us that people have the tendency to want to trust an individual even if they did betray them before this makes people vulnerable to betrayal.

Question 2 Results

As the results indicate that betrayal is most common in a friendship it tells me that people would almost expect a betrayal to take place in a friendship. So if i done a betrayal in a relationship or family the audience would be more shocked as they wouldn't have expected it as much. Also these results will help me to avoid cliché. 

Question 3 Results

As the vast majority of people think that murder is the most likely then maybe  murder should not be the outcome of the betrayal in my piece. I could have suicide as the final outcome or i could have something completely different.

Question 4 Results

I should have a look at how betrayal is portrayed in these particular films, maybe i could gain some valuable techniques and ideas from them.

Question 5 Results

judas' story of betrayal is by far the most popular according to my survey results. as this story is so well known maybe i should include a reference back to it as it could be something that most people would be able to recognise is there. A very strong reference to Judas is the kiss of betrayal.

Primary Research (Survey & Interviews)

We used a online and hard survey to find out some of the publics opinions on betrayal. We asked them 5 questions. Could you trust someone who betrayed you in the past?, Where would you say betrayal is most common? In a relationship, Friendship or Family. What would you say is the more likely outcome of betrayal? Murder or Suicide. In your opinion name one film that portrays betrayal perfectly and Name one famous traitor.

I posted the online version on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to reach a wide range of people.

*Results to be concluded*

 

Interviews

I also conducted a few interviews where I asked people 5 questions in betrayal those where:

• What does betrayal mean to you?
• Who  would be the worse person to betray you?
• Have you ever been betrayed & how?
• What effects did/would being betrayed have on you?
• Have you ever been betrayed?

 

Betrayal In History

John Anthony Walker

 

John was a united states navy chief warrant officer and communication specialist. He was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985. By May 1985 John and his wife Barbara had divorced and upset by johns refusal to pay he alimony, Barbara reported his activities to the FBI.

 

Barbara wasn't prosecuted because of her role, however john got 30 years in jail.

 

Looking into this story has given me a basic structure for a possible story.

main character does something - one person knows because they trust that person - main character does something to that person - that person then betrays the main character.

 

 

 

Judas

 

Judas is possibly the most famous betrayal to have ever taken place. The betrayal of Jesus Christ. Judas was one of the disciples, he was the one who betrayed Jesus and gave him up to the Romans which lead to his death. The main thing I found interesting when looking into the story of Judas is the symbolism of the kiss he used to inform the romans of Jesus' identity the is also known as the 'Kiss of Betrayal'.

 

Brutus and Caesar

 

Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome for 8 years starting his rein in 59BC. At that time in history dictatorship was seen as a temporary position however it was clear that Julius Caesar had plans to be the dictator for life. It was when he returned from a military campaign in the Greek islands where he made the famous statement 'I came, I saw, I concurred' that a group of conspirators made plans to kill Caesar one of which was his own nephew, Marcus Brutus. Although his wife begged him to not get involved Brutus still engaged in the group that eventually lead to the murder of Caesar.

'Et tu Brutus' latin for 'And you, Brutus' is the supposed last word of Caesar and are a great metaphoric symbol of betrayal from an unexpected person.

Contexual Research

I looked at series of films and how they depict betrayal. I looked at the storyline and its structure and the camera shots and movements during the scenes involved in the betrayal.

 

Paid In Full

The first film I analysed was 'Paid in full'. In this film the main character is on the outside looking in on the betrayal basically he is neither the victim of the betrayal nor the person doing the betrayal.

Mitch is the character that gets betrayed, he is portrayed as the most popular and loved character out of the 3 main characters; Ace, Rico & Mitch.

Rico is the character who betrays mitch.

Rico gets close with mitch then when he has his opportunity he takes it.

prior too the betrayal taking place the shots are a lot longer and have a much slower pace, cross fades and fade to black transitions are also immensely used at this time. These techniques are used to help build tension and tells the audience that a change in equilibrium is about to occur.

 

American Gangster

In this film Frank Lucas is the main character. In this film Frank is a big time drug lord aka king pin of Harlem. Frank is the traitor in this film as he gives police the information they need to take down some of the people that used to help him doing in his illegal business so that he gets a shorter jail sentence.

 

When the betrayal is taking place and frank is giving the police the information the shots speed up, they are a lot shorter and frequent. It the change in pace from the slow pace of the integration to the fast pace of the betrayal act itself that tells the audience that the betrayal is taking place. During the betrayal the camera also moves as oppose to it being completely still prior to the act of betrayal.

 

 

FMP (Final Major Project)

Project Proposal Pitch



Project Proposal

Ravensbourne

Kyle Walker/6703620503

Betrayal 28/02/2014

Film/Lenses Based Media

 

Section 1 (150 Words)

This course has given me a great journey. I feel that choosing this course was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I choose the LBM pathway simply because it was the most relative pathway for my aspired career which is a film maker also, I Knew I would enjoy it. Throughout the last six units I feel I’ve achieved a lot of the goals that I set out for when starting the year. In terms of skill and knowledge I have excelled a remarkable amount since the beginning of the year, I have grown to be very confident with camera work; operating the camera; camera movement & knowing the necessary equipment required for my desired outcome. In addition my editing skills have progressed a vast amount, now they are of a much higher standard resulting in much more professional work & I feel confident editing as opposed to beforehand.

 

Section 2 (250 Words)

The main concept of my project is betrayal. Betrayal is the controlling idea that my Final major project will be based around, I choose betrayal as my concept because I think it is a very meaningful yet common thing that takes place also its something most people can relate to. I’m going to conduct both primary & secondary research into betrayal. I will start by conducting interviews to a variety of people different ages and from different cultures where I will ask about their opinions on betrayal and if they have any personal experiences. I will also watch and analysis a range of films from different genres that depict betrayal in some way. Overall, this will help paint a picture of how the betrayal shall take place in my project. The research is going to help me solve the problems I have with the storyline of my project those are how the actual betrayal will take place and wither or not there will be one major betrayal or several small betrayals that add up. The only other problem I will face is the exact location that I will shot however, I shall solve that when I go location hunting in the 3^rd week. My realisation (Final Major Project) will be a short film that will display the harsh concept of betrayal in order for me to complete this task I will require: 2 DSLR cameras, 2 tripods, various lighting equipment & a Laptop, Mac or MacBook for the editing process.

 

Section 3 (100 Words)

During the 7 weeks I will keep a diary which I will record any small changes or idea developments as I progress through the weeks. Additionally, I will keep updating my blog, keeping a reflective record of my progress and outcomes as the time goes on. Throughout the weeks we will have group crits where I get the opportunity to share my progress amongst other students and tutors and get their opinions. This will help me to evaluate and make changes if necessary. In the closing weeks I will self-evaluate my work to see if any final changes are required.

 

 Project Action Plan

1^st - Research (Interviews)/Story Developing

2^nd - Research (Film analysis)/Story Developing

3^rd – Location Hunting/Production (1^st draft)

4^th - Development (evaluating 1^st draft)

5^th - Production (2^nd draft)/ Development (evaluating 2^nd draft)

6^th - Final Production/Editing

7^th – Editing/Final Adjustments

 

 

Bibliography

Fig.1.Walker, Kyle. (2014).Lenses [Photograph] In the Possession of: Kyle Walker: Greenwich

Fig.2 Knife behind Back (2012)

Fig.3. Weiss, Mark. (2010). Dear Diary [Photograph] In the Possession of: The Guardian: Unknown

The Chase

The chase is a re-take of a piece that my group previously done. We wanted to make the chase more mysterious, eventful and dramatic, which I think we was successful in doing. We made it longer including more of a story than the previous piece, more dialog and more of the actual chase itself. We use much better equipment which resulted in the new chase having a much better pace, quality and professional feel than the old chase.

Freedom & Liberty

What is Freedom?

Some say freedom is being able to do what you please when you please simply without anyone stopping you, others say freedom is only achievable when you have something restricting you . Some say that we are all free in this modern society whereas others say the complete opposite. I for one believe that Freedom is a subjective subject meaning it is different for everyone and a lot comes into account when considering what one person would describe freedom as compared to another.

My Project

I thought about different ways freedom can be achieved and out of all one stood out of me and that was that 'Freedom can only be achieved when something is restricting it' that 'something' could vary from; age to a person to a situation. In my project I focused on how a harsh memory can stop an individual from being free to live their life, leaving them with no option but to find an escape to freedom.

Escapes To Freedom

An escape to freedom Is anther subjective concept. Some people say their passion makes them feel free for example dancers, I have heard a number or dancers and performers say that when they are dancing or performing that they free it takes them away from reality and makes them feel free. Another example is nudist in the documentary film 'The Naked Rambler' the main character states how being naked makes him feel free and the whole documentary is basically about him expressing he's beliefs about freedom and protesting that it should be against the law to be naked in public. In my project I focus on the worse escape to freedom possible and that is by death. The harsh reality is that in some circumstances the only way to escape something is by death an example of this is guilt. If an individual is being swallowed by guilt then there comes a stage where there is nothing you can do about it and the guilt will practically such the life from you causing all types of mental illnesses I.e. Depression or schizophrenia. In my project we focus on how the character is so guilty of something he feels there is only one way out...

Research

 

 

 

Title Sequence Breaking Bad (2008/2013)

 

Breaking bad is a television drama series based around the main character Walter White a chemistry teacher who is also a terminal cancer patient, he resorts to producing the class A drug Meth to get money so he can leave money behind for his family when he dies and so he can afford the correct treatment to prolong his death. Walter becomes obsessed with the money he is getting from the Meth business and this results in him facing many dilemma and in the end losing everything apart from some of his earnings. The series holds a lot of mystery so I am going to use this to my advantage in my title sequence.

 

 

Title sequence - Runner, Runner (2013)

 

Runner,Runner (2013) is a Crime, thriller about online poker. It is the story of a university student that is cheated on an online poker game resulting in him losing all his tuition money. He travels out to a place that is unknown to him to find the owner of the website that cheated him and not only does he get he's money back he is convinced to stay and takes a job as a partner of the illegal gambling website. Things start off all good but result as time goes on things get bad and he is face with an epic dilemma.