Storytelling Unit - Opening 2 Minutes Of My Short Film - The Affair

Below is the opening 2 minutes of the short film I created called 'The Affair': 

I am very pleased with what I have managed to achieve in the way of how it looks and the editing of it although I did have some Issues with it. I managed to get a lot of coverage so I was spoilt for choice when It came to editing but some of the vital shots were blurred and speckled when it comes to the park conversation scene. I had to use them in order for the story to flow but In future productions I will check footage as I go along and make sure I communicate before every shot to make sure that its in focus and that the lens is clean. 

Although I white balanced before every shot some of the hues were to warm creating an orange glow in the bedroom. I used colour correction tools and Lumetri scopes in order to balance the colour out making it consistent all the way through. Also the scene where Harriet is sitting on the sofa the lens made everything into a curve stretch. I resolved this by using a lens correction tool to pull it into perspective and straighten it out. 

I'm happy with how the films turned out and I'm pleased with how the process went. 

Storytelling Unit - Shooting The Affair

Yesterday I spent the whole day shooting the opening 2 minutes for my short screenplay. I had encountered a problem the night before as the actor I had lined up to play the role of Lewis dropped out but after contacting a few more actors I managed to get another in place ready for the shoot the next day.

After sending out all the shooting schedules before hand the crew knew what time we were meeting at the studios and I had arranged to pick up the actors at the train station. Once we were all together and signed the equipment out we headed to the first location which was the Bearsted woodland trust. although this is the second scene I decided we would shoot this first due to the lighting conditions. The shoot went successfully as we finished ahead of schedule and all the team were professional.

In some points we had trouble with the wind which affected the audio but it eventually died down and we were able to shoot scenes fine. There was another problem I hadn't foreseen with the bench I was going to use being near a main road so we had to choose a different bench to cut down on traffic noise. 

Once this was finished we moved onto the second location at my house to work on the other scenes. This was a lot more time consuming than I thought as there was a lot more involved in the way of many different shots and angles I wanted to get to make sure the coverage was sufficient and the story was told in the right way. Although some scenes took a little bit longer to shoot it still finished in time and worked well with the lighting as we were ahead of schedule from the other location. 

Storytelling Unit - Casting Call Pro

Due to the nature of my screenplay I wanted to hire actors to be the characters of my screenplay. I was told I could use friends and family or people from the course but hiring actors would allow my project to be more professional. I used a recommended website called Casting Call Pro which enlists professional actors available to hire.

I created an account and posted an advert explaining that I was a student who needed a male and a female actor to play the parts for my film. As I'm a student I explained that there would be no payment for the role but they would get a copy of the final edited footage once complete. After a week I had 12 men and 12 women apply for the role. After reviewing there previous show reels I have whittled it down to the 2 people I wanted to play the roles.



After sending them my script and explaining what I wanted done they were very happy to accept the terms and play the parts of my characters.

Story Telling Unit - Shoot Preparation (Shot List, Risk Assessment and Schedule)

As I am going to be shooting the first 2 minutes of my screenplay there are many different things that I need to plan in order to make sure everything is organised and the shoot goes smoothly. The first thing I have done is write out a shot list. This allowed me to look at the script and adapt it into what scenes I wanted to shoot and what coverage I needed to obtain. As I have already visited the locations I was able to visualise in my head the types of shots I wanted to do for example Long shot and close up so that it was relevant to what was required. I will be able to follow this list on shoot so that I won't leave anything out. The shot list can be seen below.

The next thing I did was write out a risk assessment for the 2 locations making sure I was taking into consideration the problems that could occur on set in regards to the health and safety of the cast and crew. When looking at the risk assessment for the Bearsted Woodland Trust park I realised there were several issues to consider. An example would be the fact that its outside and being in a park the terrain may not be even. This would be resolved by making sure all cast and crew are notified and they must wear appropriate footwear on set. This prevents the likelihood of a trip or fall. 

When looking at the risk assessment for the house location there were a few other things to consider. In the event of a fire there, the park would not be as hazardous being in an open place. When inside  building it becomes a lot more dangerous so I had to consider fire exits making sure they were kept clear and to have planned exit routes. There is also furniture and objects that could be a trip hazard so keeping things tidy was important and items were not left in an inappropriate manner. 

Once the risk assessments were signed off by the course leader I was given the go ahead to shoot my film in the locations. My next step was to produce a shooting schedule so the cast and crew know whats happening, when its happening and what is expected time wise throughout the day. I made sure I included the date, location, the crews names, roles and there contact details as well as the equipment that will be needed. As we will be shooting outside I wanted to add a weather section so that when I sent them out to the cast and crew they could prepare appropriately. Underneath this was the time and activity throughout the day to follow and make sure we were on track and got the shoot done on time as we were up against losing day light. 

Overall I think I have planned my shoot very well and believe I have what I need in order for things to go smoothly. 

Storytelling Unit - Viewing and approving Location's

We had a talk with a woman from the Kent Film office about the permissions and requirements that we had to take into consideration when filming in a public place. This was very useful for me as I was able to understand what I needed to organise before requesting a location to be approved.

Since I only need two locations the first would be set in my house so no permissions were required. The second was to be in a park so I took the time to visit a few locations that I thought could work well. My first thought was mote park but when listening to the Kent Film Office talk I was made aware that they require a fee to film there so I decided to think of somewhere different as I could not afford the expense. I visited a place called Manor Park Country Park and took some pictures of where I could ideally shoot the scenes I needed.

Although this was a good location there was a fee for parking and it was a 20 minute drive from the other location.

I then decided to go and take a look at the Bearsted Woodland Trust park and take some photos of this location. I found this to be more ideal as the scenery was better for the shoot as well as it being only a 5 minute drive from the other location and a free carpark.

With Bearsted Woodland Trust being my first choice for location I emailed the Kent Film Office to make them aware that I wanted to film there. Unfortunately I had a reply back saying that the land was privately owned and I would not be allowed to shoot there unless I gained permission from the owners themselves. From this I then found the contact details on their website and emailed them expressing what I wanted to do. After a few emails back and forth with the deputy chairman of the park John Wale I have been given formal permission to film there on Wednesday 16th November.

Contextual Studies - Sitcom's

When understanding genre, its a type of media that shares common codes and conventions looking at the social, political and historical contexts. Its very identifiable with an audience. For example if a group of people were sitting at home and in the mood for a horror, they could scroll through a streaming service like Netflix and pick a horror program/film from that section. When watching the horror they will be able to identify with the codes and conventions they are used to in a horror like its score, characters (monster/ killer, survivor), Props (Knife), Location (Isolated areas i.e. an old house) and jump scares or gore. This leaves the audience satisfied as they're prepared to experience these conventions.

When looking at the sub-genre of Sitcom, its a situation comedy that only applies to television. It involves characters resolving a comical situation in their lives. When looking at the Technical conventions of sitcoms filmed in a studio they are generally edited as if the audience is watching it live. This links into the canned laughter that is used in the background to make you feel like you are with a studio audience watching it. For example when watching friends there is laughter throughout at the jokes and gasp moments when something is revealed. Location sitcoms follow slightly different conventions. There is no live laugh track and they are edited in post production. They often have a story for each episode rather than a continued story throughout the series like Arrested Development or Parks and Recreation. Most sitcoms have an ideology based around a family i.e. the work family, nuclear family, extended family and co-habitees.











Sitcoms are done in episodes and generally last around 30 minutes. They use comic traps in there narrative to give depth and add to the story. They start as an equilibrium, then a problem is found, the characters go through the problem, the problem is solved, everything returns to normal. Its done like a cycle and obtains this set up in every episode.


There are many different types of sitcoms in a way that comedy can be shown an example would be a parody. This is a mockery of original work as it imitates the subject they are showing. Its similar to a spoof however this usually makes fun of a genre in its entirety like the Scary Movie films. A satire tends to have a lot more serious issues involved but it makes us laugh when it goes wrong and gets worse.

In terms of mise en scene there are classic things that they use. It generally focuses around something central like a sofa or an office desk. The audience identify this as where the characters lives revolve around. In Friends they use a coffee shop sofa where they all meet to discuss there problems and issues they are having. since friends became more evolved it had many more focus points like their apartments and Rachel's work.

There are general Archetypes/ stereotypes in sitcoms:

The Rebel -a character who uses a more harsh sense of comedy and is very sarcastic
The Libertine - someone who is hyper sexual and uses innuendos
The Authority figure - this character tries to control the situations
The fool - a person who is not very self aware and has the reputation of being stupid.

All of these characters can be seen in Modern Family. We have The rebel who is the eldest daughter of the Dunphy's Hayley and also Luke the youngest, the authority figures Claire Dunphy and Jay Pritchett and the fools Phill Dunphy and Gloria Pritchett. We could also say Gloria is the libertine as well although she is not aware of it.

Storytelling Unit - Script Feedback (1st Draft)

I have received some very interesting feedback from Steve Coombes about how I can improve my script. He explained that the sex was not as intense as it needs to be so this will be something I need to adapt. He also said my characters are quiet confusing. I understand this as I have attempted to make characters with many layers and floors and to switch there personalities and behaviours half way through as a shock tactic. Although this could work with a feature film as there would be more time to give a lot more depth but for a short film it becomes confusing and people can get confused with why the characters are acting the way they are. I will try to make the characters have similar personalities the whole way through to improve this and focus a lot more on there needs and why they are having the affair. Steve also mentioned my spelling and grammar which I need to make sure I am doing.


I will write at least one more draft before developing the final version of my script.