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DT in FILM with Mr Curran The world of film uses many of the skills and creativity that come from Design and Technology. From set building, special effects, costume design and graphics, it is an industry full of creative and talented people from a DT background. Using this file you will be able to study film from its early days through to the modern era. We will look behind the scenes and find out how a film is made, from the first spark of an idea through to the first night. The History of Film Film Studios - Dream Factories Behind the Scenes: Begin with a Story - The Idea and The Script Pre-Production - Start with the Director Storyboarding - The Sequence of Action Casting - The Actors Shooting - Principle Photography Special Effects - The Magic Post-Production - The Score Promotion - Advertising/Certification The Premiere The History of Film Film Genres Film or ‘movies’ first appeared in the late nineteenth century and were silent. Thriller One of the earliest films was made by the Lumiere brothers in France showing a train arriving at a station. This caused audiences to flee in terror as the train Drama approached on the screen! The ‘talkies’, films with sound first appeared in the Romance 1920's and became an extremely popular form of entertainment where people Adventure went to cinemas to be entertained and watch the latest news from around the Comedy world. The advent of colour film in the 1930's was another innovation that proved Fantasy popular at the time and soon would follow 3D, Surroundsound and IMAX screens. Horror Soon, actors and directors became some of the most famous people on the planet Science Fiction and the ‘Hollywood’ lifestyle would become the envy of the world. War To research: Who were the earliest film pioneers? Sporting Factual Documentary Western Animation Childrens Musical Film clips: Train entering a station 1896 Trip to the Moon 1902 The Wizard of Oz 1939 Question: Can you name any famous film companies? Film Studios - The Dream Factories Film studios provide the base for film production, a centre for SET building, CAMERAS, SOUND, LIGHTING, SPECIAL EFFECTS, COSTUMES, MAKE UP, and many other services needed to make a film. A film company may number several hundred people who will need to be fed, looked after and housed during a shoot that may last several months. Use the INTERNET MOVIE DATA BASE (IMDB) and WIKIPEDIA for information Research topics: Find out about where your favourite films were made. Find out about PINEWOOD and SHEPPERTON studios in Britain and about MGM and WARNER BROTHERS studios in HOLLYWOOD, USA. What is a SET, what does ON LOCATION mean? What are the MALTA film studios Did you know?...The British creative industries most famous for? generate £7bn of revenue each year What does a PRODUCER actually do? Behind the Scenes: The role of the Producer Begin with a Story - The Idea and The Script Every film starts with an idea, an idea that could possibly interest an AUDIENCE and attract the attention of a film PRODUCTION COMPANY. Most films only get made because a PRODUCER thinks that it will make money and hopefully become a BLOCKBUSTER. Research - Find out the names and films of some famous film producers Your idea will need to be interesting, not only to you but to a wider audience. Do you have a story that makes people think, makes them happy or sad, scared or angry? Is it true or fictional or more importantly, something that you care enough about to work on for a year or more? Yes? - Then you may begin. Preparation: Read scripts! - go on-line and download famous film scripts and read them. Read ‘How To’ books by script writers and simply watch your famourite films listening to the dialogue and studying the story. Question - What are the THREE ACTS of a script, a CHARACTER ARC, a PROTAGONIST and an ANTAGONIST? What does JEOPARDY mean and why is it so important to a story? What does a SCREENWRITER actually do? The Story Arc A screenwriter will come up with interesting ideas and turn them into a film script. They will develop the main characters and take them through a journey that will involve many human emotions. Set the SCENE and introduce your CHARACTERS What is the CONFLICT? Is it a THREAT or a SECRET? Who are the PROTAGONISTS and the ANTAGONISTS? Increase the TENSION until the big final showdown: The CLIMAX and the final RESOLUTION. Think of a famous story like CINDERELLA and draw the story arc for it. Film clips to watch:- Jaws (1975) Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) Dispicable Me (2012) Memorable Scenes - What makes them great? Each SCENE in a film helps to tell the story. Some can give more information (EXPOSITION) or introduce a character. Some are always associated with certain films like the opening of every James Bond film. Watch these scenes - what is it that makes them so memorable? Is it the script, the acting, the set, the lighting, the design? Jaws - The Indianapolis scene Toy Story 2 - Woody gets mended Lawrence of Arabia - Persuading Auda Up - Carl and his wife’s dream Flight of The Phoenix - Starting the engine Ratatouille - The food critics review Railway Children - ‘My daddy, my daddy’. Use the INTERNET MOVIE DATA BASE (IMDB), YOU Do you have favourite scenes from films? Watch them TUBE and WIKIPEDIA for again and think about why they are so memorable. information What does a DIRECTOR actually do? Pre-Production - Start with the Director A film crew can number several hundred people and a shoot last for several months. They all need the leadership of a DIRECTOR who has control (with the PRODUCERS) over all aspects of the film. Question - What famous directors do you know? Once the DIRECTOR is on board, then the rest of the crew is chosen :- Director of Photography Casting Director Art Director Sound Department Lighting department Stunt Co-ordinator Location Manager Music Score Costume and Wardrobe Design Make Up Department Visual Effects Film clips to watch:- Opening and End credits Find out how these different roles contribute to the film. Use the INTERNET MOVIE reel from....... These are creative and talented people but they all need to DATA BASE (IMDB) and be managed and work as a team to create the finished film. WIKIPEDIA for information Storyboarding - The Sequence of Action Once the film script has been developed and agreed on the Director and Art Director will work on the look of the film and the sequence (order) in which the scenes will be filmed. Using storyboard artists each shot will be visualised before it can be filmed. Small models of the sets will be made and any outdoor locations found. Props and costumes will also begin to take shape. Research - Using the internet: find storyboards for famous film sequences and see how closely they resemble the final scenes in the film. Film clips to watch:- Who builds the sets and designs Storyboarding for the the famous costumes? train fight on Spiderman 2 What does an ACTOR actually do? Casting - The Actors Casting the right actor for the right part is the job of the Casting Director. Get this wrong and the whole film could fall apart. Certain actors are known for playing similar parts - Tom Cruise: action films, Will Ferrell: comedy films etc, but the best actors tend to be able to perform in which ever genre they are in. Question: Who are your favourite actors and why? Is it the type of films they appear in or is it their skill as an actor. Research: How do actors train? Why are some paid so much money? Who has starred in the most films? What is a Character Actor? Extras: Sometimes a film will require crowd scenes involving hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. What is an Extra and how do you become one. Do you know anyone who has appeared as an extra in a film? Shooting - Principle Photography You have a script, a director and crew, you have raised enough money from INVESTORS, built the sets, scouted the locations and cast the actors. Now you need to bring all of that together for several months and begin to film your story. Some small, cheap and independant films can be shot in weeks (or even days) and go on to become successful. More expensive films with budgets in the region of over £100 million can take months, ‘Spectre took two years of my life to make from beginning even several years to shoot. to end’ Sam Mendes - Director Research: Find out about how long it takes to make a film, about budgets and which films make money and which films ‘flop’. Find out about the films - Heavens Gate and Cleopatra and why they were so infamous. Which films have made the most money and which films have cost the most to make. If any of your favourite DVD/Blu ray have extra features - cast interviews, set reports, behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes etc, watch them for an insight into the world of film making Film clips to watch:- Behind the scenes extras Question: What does SFX stand for? on DVD / Blu Ray films Special Effects - The Magic of SFX From the earliest films (Trip to the Moon) directors have had to call on the services of special effects technicians. From miniature models, animation and lighting through to explosions and stunts, effects have made the impossible seem possible. Film genre’s such as science fiction, horror and historical films will always require effects, from the physical (explosions) or as CGI (computer generated images).

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