50's Versimilitude

As we are making a film set in the era of the 1950s, we need to ensure that the verisimilitude and mise en scene are correct, in order to make the opening believable. Here is a mood board of the verisimilitude that we will need to include in our film opening:




We will need to think about:

  • Clothing
  • Hair and make up
  • Transport(cars)
  • Props
  • Technologies. Eg. No mobile phones etc.

Canon Camera

In our Media Department, we have just purchased a brand new Canon DSLR camera Kit. This new kit includes:

  • The actual Body of the Camera.
  • Tripod
  • SteadiCam
  • Light Box
  • Microphone
  • x3 lenses 
The three different lenses are:
  • 75mm- This is used for Close up shots, as, because it is a longer, and so the shot it captures is not as wide, but captures a more focused, and hence close-up, detailed shot.
  • 50mm- This is used for medium/ mid shots, as it is not as close-up as the 75mm, but is closer than the 35mm.
  • 35mm- This is used for wide/ long shots, as, because it is a shot lens  it can capture a much larger/ wider shot than the other two, so would be ideal for capturing an establishing shot for instance. 
This is the PDF file of the manual of the Camera we will be using:


This video was very useful in explaining how to transfer our clips onto the Mac, and into Final Cut Pro.

This also helps by giving a very simple step to step guide:

Initial Film Opening Ideas.

Our film idea is a Period Thriller. It will be an action/ mystery/ drama piece about a young mother who has to track down one of her twins sons' after he has been kidnapped. 

The opening two minutes takes place at a fairground, where the Mother has taken her two sons out for the day. The initial scene shows the three on the rides in a series of smooth, intertwining shots; almost like a montage. The colours in this first scene will be very bright and colourful, to represent the happiness of what is happening in the scene. The frame will then change to the same setting, but at night, with the Mother running around frantically, calling out for her child, re-visiting all of the rides that were seen in the previous scene. The aspect of the time and colour change represents that the plot has taken a turn for the worse (has gotten darker) and represents the time that has passed since they were happy previously. Following this scene is a long shot of the mother riding through a deserted forest/field, and the turns to a close up of her face looking back worriedly/ suspiciously behind her. 

As we wanted the film to be a period piece, we had to decide which period to set it in. We originally planned for the film to be set in the Victorian era, but decided that, due to the ages of the rides, it would limit us to only a small number of rides to film on. As a result we decided to pick a later era; the two we were considering were:

  • 1930's: This era would fit in with a larger number of rides, and so we would have a wider range of  [sets] to film on. This would also be a very visually pleasing era to set the film in, due to the nature of the fashions we would include  as part of the costume. 
  • 1950's: This era is also an option, as it is late enough to use most of the rides on the fair, and would also allow for the right time for the Second World War II to have occurred and passed. It is also a relatively easy period to recreate; e.g. Fashion. 
The Fairground that we will film at is Carters Steam Fair, as my family owns and runs this fair, and so we will be able to get permission to film, and will be able to easily access it as a location. 


Baz Luhrmann Style


Baz Luhrmann is an Australian director, know best for his movies:
  • Strictly  Ballroom
  • Moulin Rouge
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Australia
  • The Great Gatsby

He has created the phrase "Red-Curtain" to desribe his style of films. His films are all very theatrical, and full of high-energy and bright colours, and feels as if it has "been birthed from the stage"

"Luhrmann's films take place in a world that can best be described as heightened reality, and they combine elements of theatre, opera, traditional cinema, and numerous elements of pop culture to create an almost completely new genre."

I found this quote online, and found that this best describes what I feel is Luhrmann's style. His films are very theatrical, and have a very large influence from music.

Moulin Rouge:



This is the opening shot in the film.  It very instantly and obviously represents Luhrmanns theatrical style, as it shows a theatre stage.



This is a still from the film Moulin Rouge. It shows the energy and striking colours that are clearly evident as one of the key elements of Luhrmann's style. The film includes many large, energetic chorus scenes in this film; which is a musical, so largely features musical and dance numbers.


This image shows the two lead characters, Satine and Christian, whom are having a secret love-affair. Luhrmann's use of colour in his films is clearly evident here, through the use of the colour red, which is the key feature of this image. The colour red has many connotations with love, passion and danger, which are all aspects of the two character's relationship.  There is also the very obvious imagery that Luhrmann uses in this still, as both the locket and the window are heart shaped, signifying the relationship between the two.



This image shows the "Green Fairy" in the film, which shows Luhrmanns Surreal, Pop-culture inspired aspect to his fillms.


Luhrmanns' style is very apparent in the trailer for the film:







Romeo + Juliet:



This shot shows Luhrmanns use of colour again. The use of the light blue and whites is the frame represent Juliet's innocence and purity.




The use of the carousel in this shot is an example of Luhrmanns use of both Pop-culture influence in his work, and the symbolism that he includes within the frame. The Fair-ground rides represent the youth and innocence of Romeo, yet as they are set within a rough setting and are quite shabby, this is hinting that the innocence is not thorough/ will not last long. 


NCS Film

I took part in The National Citizenship Service, and the product that we made as part of the Volunteering was a short film to help out our local community. Our film was called "Don't Judge Us" as was aiming to help to banish stereotypes of youths within the community, and in particular, work with the charity Age concern to help build relations between The Elderly and Young. The part I played in the production was the Director. I had to oversee and direct all creative processes  including the filming of the planning, shots and editing. 





Due to logistical and timing issues, the film did not turn out entirely as I planned, as it did not completely convey the message that i wanted to get across to the audience, although I still believe that the film is quite good considering the resources and time we had to film and edit the film.

If I could re-do this video, I would:

  • Show the "Burglary" scene at the beginning, as it would establish the scene, and show the audience clearly the perception we wanted to show.
  • I would use more variety of shots, at a quicker pace, to expand time, and give the film a quicker, edgier pace. 
  • Our original intention was to show the point of view shots and close ups/ mid shots of the witnesses, at the same time as playing their interviews as voice overs, but due to not being able to get any volunteers 

Our Shots in the Style of Tim Burton


We were given the task to film the first three potential shots of the opening of our movie. We then had to plan how we would re make these clips in the style of a selected director. We chose Tim Burton, and this is how we would change the shots: