SE2: Short Film

The solution to my problem can come in many different forms. After brainstorming and thinking it over for a long time I was able to come up three alternate solutions. Moonshine: a Series is the name of my first solution. The plot is about the weird things that start to go on when Dan’s sister starts to hang out with a weird kid called moonshine. Cigarette is the name of the second solution that I generated. It is a “good cop bad cop” based movie about a kid that is arrested for smoking a cigarette. My last solution called Picture Perfect is about a teenager who picks up photography as a hobby. As he starts to get really good he decides to pursue his hobby to competing in the National Star Photography Contest.

A lot of good ideas can be generated from the Moonshine solution. The whole story is very unique and isn’t very predictable. Most scenes would probably be filmed outside which in some cases can be a good thing. Weather is about the only thing you have to worry about when it comes to filming outside. When a lot of scenes need to be filmed inside it’s sometimes difficult to be able to find times when people aren’t around. Filming inside would probably entail filming in my house or at a friend’s. It can be seemingly difficult to find a decent amount of time where we can film without any disturbances. Some downsides to this solution however include longer movie and having to find a lot of actors. Moonshine: a Series is composed into three parts, which need a good amount of development. I wouldn’t want to make each section real short and the movie would wind up being at least 40mins. long. Actors pose a problem as well. The story Moonshine: a Series would need at least five actors just to make up Moonshine’s gang. It can be extremely difficult trying to find a time that is suitable to everyone; not to mention that I would need costumes for all of them as well. Although this movie is meant to be humorous, it has sort of an off comedy. This particular film would probably attract mixed reviews because of the way it is written. The overall solution to this problem would have to be a sense of humor that a lot of people can relate to.

The next solution Cigarette, can achieve what Moonshine: a Series cannot. Cigarette is a movie that will poke fun at how cops are usually portrayed in films and on TV. Most people have heard of the stereotypes that are used in this film. One of the stereotypes is the fact that cops eat doughnuts and drink coffee all the time. Another in this film is the fact that the police try to frame people for things that they didn’t do. The last well known stereotype is the god cop bad cop routine, where a suspect is somewhat tortured by one guy while the other cop encourages the suspect to talk so that he’ll stop. These basic stereotypes about cops will enable many audience members to relate to a film like this. Also unlike Moonshine, not a lot of actors will be needed for the movie. With only a handful of people all the characters can be filled. In addition to that, there is a lot of material to work with. The story is good as it is right now but there are many places that I will be able to expand upon as time goes on.

Even though there are a lot of good things about this idea, there are some drawbacks. One is time. The story is not as long as it should be at the moment but as mentioned before there will be a lot to expand upon and it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Another negative is the costumes. It can be expensive and somewhat difficult to get the right props and outfits for a movie like this. Gun holsters and guns will be needed as well as fake badges. The characters however are not going to be regular cops that wear uniforms. All the actors will need is a white collared shirt along with some khaki pants and dress shoes. These things can usually be found in the home which does make costume finding easier. One other problem is that the actors that will be used will not be the same age as their characters. However a minor flaw like this can even be seen as somewhat comedic in a sense.
The last solution goes by the name of Picture Perfect. Some of the good things about this film are that the actors will actually be playing characters of the same age although it is only a minor plus. The idea however follows the same outline as a lot of things on TV. Lots of stories involve a main character struggling with something that they overcome by the end. In this case it would be the photo contest. People like it when they see someone overcome something and the main character winning the photo contest would please the audience. However there are a good amount of problems with this story.
The main drawback would be that the story is set in a school environment. That would mean that a lot of filming would have to be done in school. It would be difficult to be able to get all the shots in especially if time runs out. That would mean people would have to bring in the same clothes if a scene wasn’t finished. Another thing is that I would want a proper setting for the movie and the high school I attend does not look like a normal high school. There would have to be many different settings for the school so that it’s not the same building every time there’s a scene in school. In relation to this problem there are a lot of characters that would be needed. Maybe the story would only call for a couple main characters but if there are scenes filmed at school there would have to be extras as well. This is why the film could not be filmed in a regular high school. Although if filmed in a regular high school there would be lots of settings to work with, another problem arises. Even if the setting looks good there still needs to be extras. That means this would require a lot of actors.

All the solutions would be able to entertain a PG-13 audience but each one has a different difficulty level. As a high school student, I have limited resources to work with and have to be able to make the best of them. This is exactly why many solutions have to be generated and weighed. The overall idea is to create a story that solves fits the criteria yet is still feasible. Moonshine: a Series, Cigarette, and Picture Perfect are all ideas that will meet the specifications and limitations of the design brief. However some are not as feasible as others. Cigarette fits the requirements better then any of the other solutions. The humor is relevant to a topic that many people can relate to. The sets that will be used for a film like this are also a lot easier to deal with then ones for other films. The two main scenes for the movie can be filmed in a household environment. All that’s needed is a “family room” and a room that closely fits an interrogation room. Most of the costumes for this idea can already be found at home and the rest can be obtained at a minimal cost. Another reason that Cigarette fits better then any of the other ideas is that the story is very easy to expand on. Its for these reasons that Cigarette beats out the other competitors. The strong plot line will not only entertain a PG-13 audience but will also prove to be a suitable parody about cops.

The Final solution should be able to entertain a PG-13 audience. The end result will be based mostly on this task. For the final product many things can alter the emotion generated by the audience such as content, length, theme, and style. To test the solution the final product will be premiered to an audience of 13 and older. The film will last from 20 to 30 minuets max. The audience will be directed to a suitable viewing area such as a home theater room. When the film is complete a sheet of paper will passed out to each person. Another way that I will test this solution is by posting the film on http://www.ruddycourtfilms.com/ with a box for feedback. By showing this film to various people who fit in the PG-13 audience, I should be able to determine the success of my project.

Testing Procedure One
Decide on proper room for viewing final solution
Have people that fit in the PG-13 audience come and view the movie
When the movie is over pass out slips of paper similar to the following
Collect slips and review comments
Calculate average rating and assess viewer comments

Testing Procedure Two
Post video on http://www.ruddycourtfilms.com/
Have comment box below the viewing screen
Review all comments submitted by viewers