Filming Plan

Given that we only have a short piece to film, we plan to film over one day, two days max, working through the storyboard in chronological order. Working in chronological order makes it far easier to create a flowing piece of film, with smooth transitions, and of course this makes the post production process a lot easier, as in the editing theatre we will not have to work out the order of shots, as they will already be ordered correctly.

Chronological filming also makes it far easier to moderate the continuity of characters costume, movement and emotions. If either of these factors is miscoordinated on a shot to shot basis, it can be a very jarring experience for the audience, and really detract from the flow and mood of a scene. Also helping us maintain good continuity is the fact that we aim to film in one sitting. This brings many advantages, and allows for consistent acting and filming. It is important to have the actors in the right frame of mind during the same scene, as it allows them to stay in the zone and get into character. If an actors performance in one scene is broken up over time, it can cause anomalies which can ruin the effectiveness of a piece.

In terms of the actual shots, we aim to abide closely to the storyboard, as each frame has been carefully considered. Experimenting with new shots on set can be risky, but well worth doing if they are pulled off. This means that we will experiment with spur of the moment shots, but make sure we have safe alternatives filmed, so we can always fall back on them.

The storyboard makes filming far easier, as we have a clear order and it sort of works as a filming schedule in itself. We will have it on set with us, and utilise it to the full.

Vladimir Propps Characters

Most characters in film are influenced by a single theory, and these are The Seven Character Types of Vladimir Propp. Most narratives conform with this theory, including our practical production.The roles of Propps characters can distributed around a films cast, with some characters serving as multiple roles. Below is a list of Propps character types which correspond with the characters in our practical production.

THE HERO: The hero of our film is protagonist Luke Denton, Propp proclaims that the hero is either a victim of events, or a seeker of a righteous objective. Denton tends to lean towards the 'victim' side of things, as he is trapped in a brutal battle, and aims to evacuate. Seeing the horrors of war all around him, the audience sympathises with Denton's struggle, thus making him an eligble hero.

THE DONOR: Joseph Andrews is a character who fits multiple roles, one of which is the donor.The donor prepares the hero, and gives him an object of use. The object Andrews gives to Denton as aid is information, information about extracting the battle via helicopters, thus giving Denton the tool with which to fulfill his objective; knowledge.

THE DISPATCHER: Andrews also fits the role of dispatcher. Andrews conforms to this by carrying out the traditional role of dispatcher by telling Denton that orders are to evacuate the field, thus dispatching him on his quest to reach the evac zone.

THE VILLAIN: There are no real villains in our film in the traditional sense of 'evil', as we do not intend to take sides in the Vietnam conflict, just depict the struggle of two soldiers who happen to be American. This does not mean we support the actions of the U.S Army in Vietnam, or condemn those of the Vietcong. But, considering the definiton of Propp's 'villain' is someone or something who struggles against the hero, the Vietcong faction assume the 'villain' role for us.

Capturing the Target Audience

Generally, audiences with an interest in the war film genre are a diverse and wide range of people. It is fair to say that males are more inclined to the genre than females, and the age range spans from 15-60 year olds. Because of the broad range of ages, it tends to be peoples interests that bring them to war films, other factors aside.

Audiences with an interest in history tend to watch war films, as they are a way of expieriencing a time period long passed... without the danger. Also, war films are naturally dramatic, and have emotionally driven and exciting stories. Because we know that a lot of our viewers will have an interest in history, especially Vietnam (given thats our setting) it is imperative for us to achieve historical accuracy. In terms of costume, props, and historical context, we have worked hard to make sure there are no historical loop holes which could detract from the viewing expierience.

As previously mentioned, compelling and exciting stories come naturally to war films, and this is a main attraction for audiences. As a result, we made sure that our story is gripping from the start, with our two main characters faced with seemingly impossible odds, the auidence is hooked, and wants to see how our characters deal with being trapped in a warzone, with no more hope of evac.

But of course, one of the main draws for a war film audience is action. Gunfights, artillary, explosions and intense battles are both exciting and dramatic, and can fuel emotionally charged set pieces. We abide by this in our opening sequence, which is an intense battle full of firefighting and helicopter crashes and the like, combining to make an intense and fast paced Vietnam battle scene.

When combining historical accuracy, a compelling narrativ, and intense war action, what we have is an ideal film to suit our target audience, and we have worked hard to cover all the bases of interest.

Steven Spielberg

Another influence and inspiration is Steven Spielberg. Arguably, Sielberg is an inspiration for all film makers, with his masterful use of cinematography, he can harness emotion and feeling with every shot. Creating an absorbing atmosphere and fully immersing the audience in an enviroment is something Spielberg does brilliantly. Of course, this is an asset that every film wants to achieve, and that is why Spielberg's films have been an inspiration.

Previously, Stanley Kubricks soundtrackless battle scenes were our main inspiration, but during the post production process, it has come apparent that our film fits better with Spielbergs cinematically charged style. Sweeping musical scores and post production polish have all since been added to our film, and it has brought it to life. Dramatic battle scenes, such as those seen in 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'War Horse', have both inspired us. They are both full of meticolously well shot and edited battles. Handheld, almost first person camera work immereses the audience in the scene and setting. This is in conjunction with our style, and thus similaur camera work can be seen in our intro. What adds even more depth to 'Saving Private Ryan' however, is the brutallity and violence. Such action shocks the audiences, and often a film can be judged by its ability to effect its audience on an emotional level. Our opening sequence includes some gore and brutal violence, capturing a similaur harrowing edge.

Similarly to Steven Spielberg, what our film does is blend cinematic splendour with realism and intensity. As a result, we aim to shock and excite our auidences at the same time.

The Storyboard

                         ZOOM IN FOR MORE DETAIL

This storyboard conveys the events and general atmosphere of our final practical production piece. One of our aims is to capture the brutality and intensity of Vietnam combat, while maintaining a realistic and gritty atmosphere. But at the same time, we want it to have a cinematic feel, and thus conform with many filming conventions. One of which is Todorovs Narrative Structure. The storyboard above shows how the start of our film corresponds with the early stages of Todorovs  narrative theory. This is explained below:

THE STAGES OF TODOROV'S THEORY

1. EQUILIBRIUM: A narrative should start with a state of equilibrium and peace, easing viewers into the setting, and introducing the characters. Opposing forces are in balance. Our practical production conveys this stage through the opening 'dream' sequence, wherein protagonist Luke Denton enjoys a quiet moment at home.

2. DISEQUILIBRIUM:The previous state of equilibrium is disrupted by some action. In our piece, this is Denton awakening from his dream, only to realise that he is now in the thick of combat. What follows is intense and harrowing, the intensity is extenuated by the previous subdued moment, creating a contrast.

3. THE RECOGNITION: The recognition stage depicts the characters realisation of the disruption. Whatever action is taking place is now understood, and the characters begin to deal with it. This is displayed by supporting character Andrews conversing with Denton, ascertaining the details of their situation, then formulating an action plan.

4. AN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE DISRUPTION: The fourth stage speaks for itself; whatever disrupted the initial equilibrium must be dealt with, and this stage depicts the characters struggle. Our characters attempt to deal with the disruption by evacuating the battle via helicopter, so there struggle is getting to the evacuation point.

Given that our practical production is just a film opening, the succeeding stages of Todorov's theory are not depicted.

Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick, director of Vietnam film classic 'Full Metal Jacket' is a big influence and inspiration on our final production. Kubrick's style is similaur to our own, with battle scenes featuring little to no music, creating a more realistic and harrowing atmosphere. Kubrick is essentially a legend of the war film genre, with classics like 'Paths of Glory', 'Barry Lyndon' and of course 'Full Metal Jacket'.

A distinctive feature of all of Kubricks films is his harrowing and realistic style that presents things in a brutal and believable fashion. 'The Shining' is a good example of this, with the creaking of the rocking chair as Jack Nicholson descends into madness, and the famous bathroom break-in scene. The action on screen is brutal and shocking, yet the lack of music or over done special effects really captures a realistic atmosphere.

However, the main influence for our opening are Kubricks aforementioned critically acclaimed war films, 'Paths of Glory' and 'Full Metal Jacket'. Despite the former being set in the trenches of World War 1, and the latter set in Vietnam, there are stylistic similarities. The use of natural lighting is pretty distinctive and quite unconventional. Rather than providing a 'rose tinted' cinematic look, engineered to make shots look attractive to an audience, Kubrick's films appear gritty and realitsic, making his war films in particulaur a harrowing and immersive expierience. Whereas Spielberg immereses his audiences with beautiful cinemtography and lighting and effects engineered into eye pleasing perfection, Kubrick immereses his audiences by filming something as it is. Both styles take skill and both are effective.

Kubrick's war works are almost docu-dramas. This is why he is a main inspiration for our own practical production, as realism and intesinty are things we aim to capture. But also, with a low budget and relativley limited equipment, making a film more in the style of Kubrick is a more realistic prospect for us. Utilisng natural lighting and using only essential special effects. The brutality of 'Full Metal Jakcet' is another aspect that makes it such an emotive and powerful Vietnam War film, and another reason why it is an inspiration. As a result, our opening will have some fairly graphic tendancies.

So it Stanley Kubrick's 'less is more' minimalisitc, yet emotive and realistic approach that has inspired some of the ideas for our practical production. 'Full Metal Jacket' in particulaur has been very impressionable on us, and is one of the best war films ever made.

Vietnam Mood Board

This mood board depicts many of the themes and events that have inspired and influenced our final production. These pictures display violent and intense conflict, and the true unrelenting horror of the Vietnam War. This violence and horror is something we strive to capture in our film. But also the pride and determination of two nations, the USA fighting for their own righteous cause, and the NVA and VC fighting to protect their land and their political beliefs.

Another aim is come at this film with an unbiased approach. We have taken no sides in this historical event, and aim to depict the war as it was; intense, horrific, and harrowing. Several famous historical pictures make up this mood board, as it is the history of the conflict, more than other film and media that has been our core inspiration. However, film has lent its hand, with classics like 'Platoon' and 'Apocalypse Now' influencing the way in which we approach the film from a technical and practical angle.

Main Practical Production Survey - RESULTS

The film is to be set during the Vietnam War, about the massive assault launched by Communist forces in 1968; The Tet Offensive. The film focuses on the events surrounding the notorious Battle of Saigon.

Using the above information about the film, candidates were asked the following questions. The winning option is highlighted green.

1. IN A WAR FILM DO YOU PREFER THE FOCUS TO BE ON...
  
 ACTION
 STORY


2. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FLESHED OUT, DEEP CHARACTERS?

   YES
   NO


3. SHOULD THERE BE DIVERSITY IN CHARACTER PERSONALITY?

   YES
   NO

4. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT HISTORICAL ACCURACY?

   YES
   NO

5. DO YOU PREFER THE OPENING OF A WAR FILM TO CONSIST OF...
  
   ACTION
   DIALOGUE

6. BASED ON THE INFORMATION GIVEN TO YOU, WHICH TITLE WOULD BE YOUR  FAVOURITE?

   THE FALL OF SAIGON
   RED TIDE

Researching the Vietnam Setting

Our film opening is set in the heat of the Vietnam War in 1968, with the 60s being such an iconic decade it is important for us to capture the atmosphere and tone of the era. As a result, historical accuracy is of great importance to us. The uniform and equipment used by the U.S Soldiers is reflected in our costume design with a close attention to detail and realism, which increases audience immersion in a historical film.

ACCURATE COSTUME

 
The M1 helmet with Vietnam DPM cover is a notorious symbol of the Vietnam war, as a result, it was imperative for us to acquire them for our main characters.


The Khaki frag vest is another iconic part of a Vietnam uniform, and increase historical accuracy, as was standard issue to American General Infantry, along with the M1 helmet.

The M16 Assault Rifle was the standard issue firearm of all American Infantry and Special Forces, to convey this, we acquired out of service BB Airsoft guns, which look authentic, yet are without danger, and serve as perfect budget film prop.

Utilising accrurate props and costume is important when setting a film in such an iconic historic event. Most people around today know the classic Vietnam atmosphere, and it is imperitive for us to capture said atmosphere. Our film is more gritty and harrowing than most of the classics, so to increased realism and immerssion factor is pivotal.


SETTING

Vietnam is a very diverse land mass featuring dense jungles, standard forests, open fields, bleak hills and vast mountain ranges. This means that Vietnams terrain has similarities with many other countries, meaning it is very possible to film a Vietnam film in the UK, by exploiting a similaur setting.