Short Film Research

I created a questionnaire about short films and cinema habits in people I am at college with:

Film Research

What is your preferred film genre?

How many short films have you watched in the past year?

What is your favourite short film?

What would you say makes a good short film?

Where do you mostly watch short films?

How many times a month do you go to the cinema?

What is your favourite feature length film?

I created an Xtranormal video of the results:

Social Network Reviewing Task

The Social Network

Storyline
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

IMDB Reviews-
Author: Trevor Todd from United States
"The Social Network" was an incredibly engaging film that, while mainly revolving around the invention of Facebook (and all the problems that the creators encountered both before and after all was said and done), really focused in on ideas and feelings that can be (and are) universally felt through all people, the primary example being trying to fit in. Everyone wants to be accepted (I for one have never met a single human being that has wanted to be a loner), and some will do whatever it takes to get that sort of attention (which tends to lead into bad consequences). In a year where movies have received some of the lowest critical ratings (as well as box office earnings) in recent memory, "The Social Network" was, while haunting, truly refreshing and ultimately a triumph in all aspects, whether it be considering the acting, script, or directing. It was a fantastic movie that shouldn't just be among the best of the year; it's so much more important than that. It defines the entire social networking generation, and that is one hell of an accomplishment. Everyone can relate to it one way or another, and that makes it one of the must-see pictures of the year.

Fincher's best since Fight Club, 20 September 2010
Author: Stevendcravens from United States
I have been a fan of David Fincher ever since I saw Se7en when I was 13. I saw all of his films the following week and not one of them disappointed me. That was back in 2003. I loved Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as well, but he really knocked it out of the park with this one. I was fortunate enough to see The Social Network at a screening on 9/16/10 for my college. Eisenberg, Hammer and Sorkin were there and did a Q and A after the film. It was a GREAT experience. All of them seemed excited about the film and rightfully so. The film brilliantly tells the story of college students who go through hell with each other over the credit for Facebook and the damage that comes to all of them because of it. The acting and dialogue were flawless. Eisenberg, Garfield and even Timberlake churn out performances that should get them serious attention come award time. Fincher's direction is also perfect. you can always tell a Fincher film when you see it because his visual style is so striking and The Social Network is no exception. When this is released, please go see it and watch a film that defines a generation and what the world has become.

Just as Fincher gave us the definitive Generation X film with "Fight Club", he and Aaron Sorkin give us a definitive Generation Y film..., 11 October 2010
Author: Tyler_Kovacs from United States
...and that's "The Social Network".
It joins the ranks of his best, and just like many of his his previous works, has been reviled before it was properly understood.
For months before it came out, it was the laughing stock of people who were off-put by the idea of a "movie about Facebook" (even though it's easy to look and see that it's about the founding of Facebook and the people behind it), just like "Fight Club" is dismissed as a violent film about people fighting, or that "Se7en" is just a serial killer movie.
"The Social Network" is filmmaking and storytelling of a high order, that shows the grand irony of a socially inept Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg who ended up creating one of the largest social phenomena of the twenty-first century (and love Facebook or hate it, it most certainly is that). The story works as an engaging, fascinating character study; at the beginning of the story, Mark is a socially maladjusted reject, and even after several million 'friends' and a few billion dollars later, he remains pretty much the same.
The outstanding acting, style and direction, as well as the great script armed to the teeth with sharp dialogue is what people are likely to miss by dismissing it as a mere 'Facebook movie'.
Even if it were just a "movie about Facebook", why is such subject matter off-limits? Things that have become a large part of our culture shouldn't be reflected in our art? Or, is it because of that? That technology is such a scary thing and needs to be dismissed? The indisputable fact is that everything that's going on with social networking and the world of the Internet is incorporated into the ideas of a certain corner of history, this one, which will be remembered as such, and "The Social Network" may very well be remembered as a film to define that era.

So please, this is one of the films to see this year. Don't get hung up on the idea that it's just a silly "Facebook movie", or else you'll be missing out on an excellent picture.
17 October 2010
Author: Naomh from Ireland
Felling nothing to me is the sign of a bad film - personally I think that's why I go to the movies; to feel excitement, sadness, joy, horror, humor - whatever. The Social Networks showed rich aholes being aholes to each other. I found not a single character to root for and it felt that nothing was at stake, not really. Even their friendship wasn't made out to be any great thing in the beginning before it all went upside down.
Sure it was interesting in a news article kind of way, but it was souless. Was that the point? I doubt it, and if so - so what? Add to that the worst CGI 'cold breath' and falling snow that wouldn't look out of place in a cartoon and you have a film that seems to be over hyped because it involves 'recent events'. My prediction? It will not be remembered so fondly in cinema history. Fincher hasn't made a truly great film in over 10 years. Maybe The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will find him back on form. We can hope.

Rotten Tomatoes-
• Fincher has delivered his best work since Se7en. An even better period drama than Zodiac and even more relevant to our generation today than Fight Club.
• In a superlative example of art-imitating-life, there was definite alchemy at work on the set of The Social Network...nothing short of a masterpiece.

There is a clear difference between the reviews on IMDB and on Rotten Tomatoes due to the age difference and class difference in the reviewers. Rotten Tomatoes is seen more as a blog site for younger people who are mainly interested in mainstream films. Compared to IMDB, which has more functions as a site and is well rounded; it incorporates all types of films from mainstream to short films. More mature generations tend to review films on IMDB who have a knowledge of the film industry and are more aware of the current film trends.
Facebook was recently valued at $33 billion. The movie about its founding should do about .09 percent of that total during its opening weekend at the box office, and Sony will be damn happy about it.
The studio is currently low-balling box-office estimates — all the better to manage expectations and post-opening buzz for a flick getting near-universal rave reviews — but experts suggest "The Social Network" could potentially flirt with the $30 million mark. David Fincher's film is currently standing at 98 percent approval on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator, making it one of the year's critical darlings, just a notch below "Toy Story 3." Will positive word-of-mouth carry the movie past the mid-$20 million range and into the glorious $30 million realm?

The Final Word
" 'The Social Network' is a great film not because of its dazzling style or visual cleverness, but because it is splendidly well-made. Despite the baffling complications of computer programming, Web strategy and big finance, Aaron Sorkin's screenplay makes it all clear, and we don't follow the story so much as get dragged along behind it. I saw it with an audience that seemed wrapped up in an unusual way: It was very, very interested." — Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times


My Review-
It is ironic that whilst researching ‘The Social Network’ I had my facebook page open in a separate internet tab. This highlights how much the generation of today think of facebook and other social networks (myspace, bebo, twitter etc) as being a recreational activity and how much time we spend on these sites throughout the day.

The Social Network is directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac and Panic Room) who has a distinctive styling throughout the majority of his films. His artistic and creative ability is visible throughout the greater part of the Social Network and his directorial capability shines through.

Short Film Ideas

Rebecca is a woman looking for love, being an attractive young female, at a bar one night she immediately catches the attention of two males, without even trying she has the option of who she chooses, will it be Chris, the tall dark haired rough looking man, or the smaller sweet and innocent looking Jack. She chooses Chris at first, as much to her regret later on in the film.

As the film skips forward years down the line, she is married and has set up a family with Chris, who becomes an abusive husband. She gets beaten for not having a meal ready for him when he arrives home from work, she is trapped and can’t escape, or can she? After receiving a beating one night she locks herself in the bathroom, closes her eyes and wishes herself out of her hell. Granted with her wish she returns to that day at the bar, and although confused, she doesn’t hesitate and ignores the advances of Chris, and turns her attention to Jack. Again it skips years down the line, to a very similar situation, she has set up a family with Jack and is married, but this time, she is happy, but darkness is once again round the corner. After an unsuspected accident; her beloved husband is killed, as she learns of the news, she locks herself in the bathroom, closes her eyes and wishes to go back to the bar once more. Again she gets her wish, realising that with these two men only lies un-happiness, she leaves the bar, and as she leaves she bumps into a male outside of the pub, whom there is clearly chemistry with, will this man be the happiness she is looking for?

Lighting

The first photo have been taken using a green filter held over the light. The lighting is high key which helps to create the shadow effect behind the subject and give it the horror feel whilst giving a stong,bold image.
High key lighting is achieved from fully lighting the subject from all directions. It gives the effect of a bright, clear, well lit subject.













The next two photos have been taken using low key lighting. The first photo was taken from a low angle and the final image was taken at eye-level. The low key lighting gives the photos a sinister/horror genre.
Low key lighting would most likely be used for scary scenes in horror films or for use in film noir as it creates strong shadows. Less area in the frame is lit up when low key lighting is used.

Ambient lighting is achieved using lights that are part of the set or naturally in the scene, for example a lamp in a room, light through a window from the sun or a street light. It creates a calm, warm and unobtusive gently lit subject or room.

• Back lighting is simply caused by the light source being behind the subject. The effect is a sihouette or aura around the subject. This is often used in sci-fi and horror films
• Hard lighting is caused by the light source being directly on the subject. This lighting gives strong, bold images and also shadows. Hard lighting is often used in films for lighting villains or on one specific element that we are directed to focus on
• Filters are fitted to the lens in pre-production or they can be added in the the editing process. Filters alter the colour of the overall shot which can change the mood of the scene or add dramatic effect. For example, a red filter can give the connotations of danger or romance, green can be used for giving a mysterious feel and to indicate something abnormal and yellow can often be used to connote happiness and a sense of well-being.