We assess the story, but mainly you are assessed on the ability to communicate your vision of a film, encompassing its key elements, from a director’s point of view. You must use what you learned in the lectures about genre, camera, lighting, sound, editing and more to illuminate a story on the cinema screen.
Here is a simplified rubric:
Story: creativity, thematic sophistication and narrative cohesion: 30%
Director’s vision: use of FIVE of casting, genre, locations, production design, camera, lighting, sound, music, editing, special and visual F: 50%
Engagement and effort: 10%
Presentation incl. spelling and grammar: 10%
Also attached is an example to show you what we are looking for. This has been written as if director Stanley Donna was one of your classmates, and he as a student of Making Movies One has written his own original story for a film called Singing’ in the Rain (which you may recall from our lectures!). Remember YOUR submission must be YOUR ORIGINAL IDEA and NOT an existing film.
TITLE: What’s a snappy or intriguing title for your film? What will look good on a movie poster?
LOG LINE: You can choose either a short sentence or phrase that would look good in a movie listing or review site OR you can use an elevator pitch format such as this “In a (SETTING) a (PROTAGONIST) has a (PROBLEM) (caused by an ANTAGONIST) and (faces CONFLICT) as they try to (achieve a GOAL).” or a simpler version such as “When [a major event happens], [the hero], must [do the main action].”. Experiment with these to find the right fit for your film.
SYNOPSIS & AUDIENCE: Regarding the synopsis – it’s very difficult to compress stories into a small number of words. However, as a filmmaker you are constantly required to do this, so its good practice. Once you are thinking about the question “what are the KEY elements of my story?” then you are doing an exercise that is actually very helpful in understanding your story in its totality, rather than its details. Regarding the audience – who will you market your film to, what age and gender and what distribution avenues are perfect for your film e.g. film festivals/cinema/video on demand/network television/YouTube?
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: What tools in your director’s toolkit can you use to tell your story in an imaginative and engaging way? How will pacing, framing, soundtrack and lighting moods affect your audience? What special F do you need, if any, and how are they justified by the story? How can you show particular sides of your protagonist’s character through props or locations, without needing any dialogue to explain it? What genre does your film fit into – or what genres does it blend and borrow from, using what generic elements? Use small details to illuminate key elements of your vision, so it reads as if we can see the movie play before our own eyes.