This is my contribution to the storyboard. This was the final third of the storyboard, which i was quite keen on getting to illustrate, as it was the part i was most certain on, and was also the part with the most going on. This would prove to be more of a challenge, and provided i had more time i like to think i would have done a better job. As the photos suggest, i have done shots 17-24.
- The BBFC is in charge of making the rules which control the age certificates that films have.
- The rules are guidelines to what can be shown by each age certificate.
- A film cannot be released in the UK unless it has been checked and been through the BBFC.
- Age certificates in the UK
o U
o PG
§ Anyone can see with permission from an adult
o 12A
§ Anyone under 12 can see with an adult. Can contain some scenes of violence, but nothing too graphic or realistic. No dangerous scenes that may be imitated by young children.
o 12
o 15
§ Anyone 15 and older can see. Can contain scenes of violence in the correct context, but any hard use of drugs or alcohol will likely raise the rating.
o 18
§ Anyone 18 and over can see. Can contain everything from the list below.
- The BBFC have to consider
o Violence
o Nudity and sexual scenes
o Language
o Discrimination and discriminatory language
o Self-harm scenes
o Criminal activity
o Dangerous behaviour that children may imitate
o Drugs, alcohol and cigarettes
o Child actors
o Strobe lighting
o Context
§ For example, in animated children’s movies, there is violence but as it is animated or with the use of superpowers, we can tell it isn’t real and so can get a lower age certificate. Same with drug use, and how serious it is being portrayed, and whether it is being portrayed as good or bad in the film.
- For violence, they consider:
o How normal is the violence?
o Why is there violence (self-defence?)
o What injury’s/harm?
o Who is being violent?
o How does the attacker treat the victim?
o Do they enjoy the violence?
o Is the violence portrayed as exciting and special?
o How frequent?
o How realistic?
o Does the violence go unpunished in the film?
- Also depends on the format of release (DVD release tend to be stricter than cinema release as there isn’t anyone checking your age)
- The process
o The production company sends a film to the BBFC, in which they watch and give a certificate. The production company may now release it at the cinema or on DVD. If the production company didn’t like the rating given to them, they have to option of re-editing the film and sending it back to be evaluated again.
- What certificate will my film likely be given?
o The film that we are making has one short bit of violence throughout it. This scene is quite graphic, since it is a gunshot however, it is very short lasting. There is also another scene of graphic content, with the people that the murderer tried to kill. However, the overall tone of this opening scene that we are trying to achieve is that the detective is a strong and powerful character. This means that the rest of the scene is subordinate to that one part, making the scenes of violence and graphic content seem better as they are overshadowed by the strong detective character. Also, the killing scene is done as part of her job. I would give our film a 15 rating, as despite the tone of the film not being about violence or about scary scenes, the scene does include this, and therefore I believe that if we gave our opening scene into the BBFC, we would receive a 15 rating.
Sound is very important in film and has a great impact in the storytelling of the film. There is two types of sound in film: Diegetic sound, and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is sound that is involved in the films world, that the characters can hear. It can appear on or off screen, like a dog barking or other forms of sound effects. Non-diegetic sound is sound that is added over the top of film, which we hear not as a part of the world in the film. This includes soundtracks (film scores), and narration.
Layers of sound:
- Ambient sound
- Dialogue (try to limit dialogue, as actors find acting for screen very difficult, and so if we limit the dialogue not only can we tell the story with the imaging and other forms of sound, but we can also make it easier and better for the actors, and therefore make the film better entirely)
- Music – non diegetic and diegetic (whether its ambient or added over)
- Foley sound (also known as sound effects)
- Voice over (again can be non-diegetic or diegetic)
In the soundtrack, there is usually a motif (sequence) in which parts of or even the rest of the composition is based off of. For example, in Star Wars, the big jump from the tonic to the dominant in the piece is very recognisable and is used throughout that theme in all of the films. Other examples include the Indiana Jones theme, Avengers, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
I am going to try and create a soundtrack for the sequence that I filmed in my previous blog post. I am going to use logic pro to accompany my master shot with a soundtrack and maybe some non-diegetic sound effects too.
Maddie, Neave and I (my group for the opening title sequence) did a step-by-step for our opening scene to help visualise it, and to help with our storyboards. We worked together on this.
1. A female detective walks into a house (the lodge boarding house at school). She is walking in front of the camera whilst the camera follows her in using a tracking shot.
2. Once inside, the detective hears heavy breathing. We would use a close up on her face, to see her facial expressions.
3. The detective starts to follow the heavy breathing, we would go back to using the tracking shot.
4. The detective finds a young girl/boy heavily breathing, close to death. We would use an extreme long shot to get the detective and the body in the frame.
5. The detective then kneels down to the body – camera height changes so that the camera is at the height of the detective.
6. The girl/boy close to death struggles to say, “He’s still here”. We would use a close up on the girl/boy’s face as they say the line.
7. Extreme close up on detectives face to show her change in emotion through facial expressions.
8. Then, a point of view angle from the detective’s perspective of the boy/girl fighting for their life, finding it difficult to breathe.
9. The camera slowly zooms out into an extreme long shot of the detective slowly grabbing her gun in her back pocket.
10. Detective slowly stands up and turns. We would use a mid-shot.
11. Detective puts her gun in a position ready to shoot from, still using a mid-shot.
12. As the detective begins walking around again, the camera goes into a POV angle.
13. Hand-held camera movements as she is walking around the house cautiously (still holding her gun ready to shoot).
14. As the detective turns into another room, it goes back into POV angle.
15. The murderer is standing right in front of her (still POV angle).
16. The camera changes to an extreme long shot of the murderer walking towards the detective holding a bloody knife.
17. The detective shoots the man with zero hesitation. Extreme close up.
18. Shot reverse shot as it happens.
19. To show the man’s dead body, we would use a long shot.
20. Cuts back to the female detective, unfazed by the events.
21. The camera switches to a low angle, as the female detective turns her back away from the body, only to quickly and suddenly turn back and shoot the body again.
22. Slow zoom in on the dead body using a long shot.
23. Camera goes into a low angle of the female detective walking away, back towards the door in which she entered. Sound of her boots or heels against the squeaky floorboards is prominent.
24. Background goes out of focus as she exits the house, and the sounds of ambulance sirens get louder as they slowly approach the crime scene.
Master coverage method:
- Master: the first shot we use if using this method is a wide shot of the scene, typically referred to as the master shot (the master part of the master coverage method). We tend to film this shot first so we are able to see the entire scene laid out and therefore see where the action within the scene will be and determine what shot we will use for them.
- Coverage: coverage is the close-up shots and mid shots that make the scene more interesting and watchable. The important thing to remember about this technique is to record the entire scene from each position the camera gets in, as it will give you shots you may not have thought of, and it will also give a lot more variables to choose from when editing.
I am going to attempt filming a scene using this method at home with my phone and basic I-movie editing software.
Why are they important:
Before a team begins the process of filming, storyboards organise the scene, and it gives the people filming a chance to consider each section of the scene without spending actual time and/or money doing it on set. It also allows you to visualise each scene and sparks creative input. After filming, it also helps, as the editor can refer back to the storyboard to guide their choice of shots, and order of shots for the scene. For example, in this storyboard, you can see how it will help the director when filming, as it tells him what he camera angle and shot type he wanted for each individual section of the storyboard:
What’s on a storyboard:
Things to include:
- Shot number (for order)
- Location (so you don’t have to draw every location, you can just write it)
- Action (so you know what’s happening in that particular shot)
- Shot/movement (what the camera does/does it move?)
- Sound (any dialogue or diegetic/non-diegetic sound)
- Lighting (any lighting
- Transition (from shot to shot, thinking about the editing)
- Timing (how long will the shot last for?)
With the template, depending on how good your drawing is, the information on the right varies. If you are a good artist, then less information, as it will be clear from the drawing. If the drawing isn’t as clear, more information on the right to make it clear. This is shown well with these three very different examples of storyboards, one with very clear images, and therefore not as much writing, one with less clear images and more writing, and one with writing in the images drawn to make it very clear later on when filming what they had in mind.
Alternative approaches to storyboarding if the drawing isn’t up to par:
- Instead of drawing, take pictures of people acting it out roughly, or even action figures placed as characters in the scene (if no one in the media team can draw well)
- Using software online to help – free animation software is available
- More information on the right-hand side
Here is an example of an animated storyboard for the opening title sequence of the film 'The Worlds End':
Tips:
- Don’t start by drawing, start using a step-by-step outline
- Remember composition, and how you will frame your shots and draw the composition
- Don’t number the shots until the end, as you may need to add shots, or remove shots. Average shot number on a storyboard is 35-40 shots
- You can write on the drawings as well, and use arrows to signify the movements in the shots
- When a page of boards is finished, take photos so you can back it up and have a photocopy.
I am going to look more into animating my storyboard, but as of now, I think my favourite storyboard is the one where the writing and drawing is equal, making it as clear as possible down the road.
