WEEKLY JOURNALS

This is where you think about your FMP learning journey and development.
Don’t simply describe what you did - consider what you have learnt and how this has benefitted
your project. What do you need to improve?

THIS IS JUST GUIDANCE THAT YOU NEED TO ADAPT TO YOUR OWN PROJECT. YOU HAVE CREATED YOUR
OWN PRODUCTION SCHEDULES AND YOUR WEEKLY BLOGS SHOULD REFELCT THAT.

THESE QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE WEEKS YOU COMPLETED THEM. DO NOT JUST SUBMIT THIS
FORM FILLED IN FOR YOUR WEEKLY BLOGS. THERE SHOULD BE 11 WEEKLY BLOG ENTRIES (INCLUDING
EASTER).

Week Two - Research

RESEARCH

What did you learn from your While researching the medium section I found out that a short
research? film has to be under 40 minutes in order to be a short film. There is
also a limited amount of characters in order for the audience to
get to know them all to know what their personalities are, what
their problems are etc. I also found out that the first short film was
made in 1902, it was called a trip to the moon. In my survey
everyone knew what short films were, they thought the best time
for a short film would be 5 – 10 minutes and majority enjoy
watching them. I learnt the many codes and conventions of a
psychological Thriller, things such as the type of music (slow and
fast paced), lighting (lowkey lighting) and what those techniques
would tell the audience the effects that they give off to the
audience, for example: the lowkey lighting with connote that
something bad is going to happen or that it will be used in the
middle of the conflict stage in the film.

How has the research for your I found out mostly about the duration of a short film, it is under 40
medium helped you improve your minutes and they always have have a definite ending unlike a
ideas? continuous episode/series where it carries on in another
episode/series. This made me create a definite ending for the
character that will leave the audience shocked. As I was
watching short films to see what elements they had in them to
make a short film I realised that the characters were introduced
or presented at the least very quickly so the audience can
recognise them and get an idea of what their personality is like, I
will show this in my production by physically showing the main
characters problems and how he deals with them to show what
he’s like.

How has the research for your genre I watched and analysed other short films that won awards, a lot
helped you improve your ideas? of them had great examples of codes and conventions that are
 used. I analysed codes and conventions that make a
psychological thriller, by doing this made me really understand
what makes a thriller; lowkey lighting to create a tense
atmosphere, claustrophobic spaces to create a sense of
fear/phobia to the character and audience and eerie music to
also create tension in a dilemma I have changed and adapted
my idea that use these techniques, especially when my
character has his nightmares on the murders lighting and music
will be a main focus to really get the frightening effect.

How has researching the conventions By researching the codes and conventions of psychological
of your chosen genre helped you thrillers made me understand what I need to include in my own
understand what is required from you short film in order for it to be a psychological thriller short film. I will
in order to meet a distinction grade? need to include eerie music to create fear and tension
throughout the audience, Lowkey lighting to also create tension
and make a certain character look sinister. By using these types
of techniques in my short film will show that I have good
understanding in the codes and conventions of a psychological
Thriller.

How has including a variety of sources By researching short films gave me an understanding of how
(primary and secondary) helped with characters are presented, things such as how fast they are
your understanding of your medium / shown to the audience since short films have a limited amount of
genre? time to introduce characters and show the conflict and
equilibrium. My primary research has shown me peoples general
understanding of what short films are; under 45 minutes,
characters have to be presented quite fast since there is a
limited amount of time in the introduction stage, conflict stage
etc.

What sources of information did you I researched bullying to see what kinds of bullying happens and is
look at that were different from your most common, I then got onto the topic why people bully, then
proposed project? to why people don’t tell on bullies. All of this have given me ideas
to how the victim should act when he is getting bullied and how
he should act when he is by himself, I will also show what
influences him, for example things like music and maybe
something he watches that will give him a message so he won’t
end up getting g help.

How will this be useful to your By researching why people may bully, things like a bad home
planning? environment, jealousy etc. I could think to represent my bully
character as angry and always aggressive, or maybe laughing
when he is bullying the victim, how the bully acts when he is
picking on the victim could show why he’s bullying. When I was
researching why victims don’t find help to stop bullying, I found
out that people don’t want to snitch, I thought that I could show
that my character has this sort of mentality since he could be
influenced by films and music.

How has the research for your By researching psychological thriller genres and watching
content/topic helped you improve examples of them has given me really good ideas of how the
your ideas? main characters nightmares could be shown as. I also
researched the codes and conventions of psychological thrillers,
the list varied with things such as mise en scene; low lighting, flash
backs, high tension music and eerie silence. I will use all and
more of these conventions to really emphasise the scare factor.
How has the research into Each producer has their own style which I researched and found
artists/producers helped you improve out about. I have attempted to mirror techniques that the
your ideas? producers that I have researched use. For example, Martin
Scorsese’s non-linear style that he uses in GoodFellas intrigues me
to use that sort of style in my own production to see how good I
could mirror that.

What work do you need to complete I need to complete the rest of my genre research and the
outside of lessons to stay on track? content section.

High Grade Tips

Research
● ‘Thorough research’ - include plenty of sources and detailed analysis of this information
● ‘relevant & coherent’ – make sure your research sources are not just the same as the Media
product you hope to make - and talk about how they inform your planning
● ‘sustained’ – continue your research throughout the eleven-week project and don’t just limit it to
the first two weeks
● ‘accomplished & considered’ – all of the above referred to in your daily/weekly reflections