prop list

1. silver crucifix
2. rosary beads
3. pregnancy test
4. abortion leaflet
5. wrapped box
6. box containing baby memorabilia 
7. birthday card (reading 17)
8. baby booties (blue)
9. baby scan photo

The following shows a list of props that are included in our film. The previous post shows research into the props we have chosen to include in our film.

props research

One of the most important props we have in our film is a crucifix. When beginning to research this product it was important that we had chosen the right religious symbol for the correct faith. This is why I researched the differences between a crucifix and a cross, as both of these are symbols of christianity. However both of them resemble a different viewpoint in christianity. I found that the crucifix is a common symbol of the Roman Catholic religion, in our film Samantha follows the faith of Catholicism. It is also important to understand the reason of which why Catholics prefer the crucifix to the cross in order for a more in depth understanding of our characters. As well as this, using something as important as religion in a film is very risky in the sense that it may offend someone of that faith. This is why that during the construction of our treatment we assessed the plot by reading it to a follower of the Catholic/Christian faith. It is thought that the reason in which Catholics prefer to use the crucifix as it is a reminder of the fact that Jesus died for the sins and beliefs of his followers (the Catholics). There is also evidence in a passage that Jesus himself did in fact want people to follow him through the use of a symbol.

John 3:14-15, Jesus says in correlation: "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." 

The story behind this passage is that the Lord said to Moses to carry a bronze sculpture of a serpent, and that the people who were suffer from the bite off a serpent would look at the sculpture and be cured. Jesus references this quote to his followers, he makes comparisons between the serpent sculpture and man, meaning he wishes people to carry a symbol of man as moses carried the symbol of a snake. This is why the crucifix is used in Catholic belief instead of a cross.

Another religious prop we use in our film is Rosary beads. Rosary beads are a common Catholic devotion. The beads are used to count the prayers that make up the Rosary. The rosary is a catholic act of veneration to the blessed Virgin Mary, meaning to honour her. This comes from the scripture "In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin". The prayers consist of repeated sequences of the Lord's Prayer followed by ten prayings of the Hail Mary and a single praying of "Glory Be to the Father". The use of rosary beads in our film will help justify the faith of our character Samantha and also add effect to the film as it intensifies the strong religious theme. 




Along with the religious elements we also venture into the subject of abortion. This is another sensitive subject in which we have to be very careful when addressing, this is why I am researching into the type of information and utensils that would have been used to determine pregnancy or abortion in the 70's. These include pregnancy tests, abortion leaflets and also baby booties etc.

In the 1970's pregnancy and sexual health had began to improve greatly. abortions were now made legal and were becoming increasingly popular. contraception was being improved along with prenatal care and prenatal testing. this has significance to our film in the sense that it would not have been out of the ordinary for our character Samantha to contemplate abortion in the 70's. however her faith would not allow this still but there are no significant problems that issue sexual health or abortion. after researching into what pregnancy tests looked like in the 70's, there is no definite look, meaning we could use an ordinary non-digital pregnancy test.

Following on from the pregnancy test we have chosen to show an abortion leaflet, this has to be considered very much in depth as the subject of abortion is very sensitive. however it will add dramatic effect to our film and so have chosen to use it. we need to make sure that we use an appropriate leaflet that suits that time as it is shown in the past. on the other hand when the leaflet is shown in the film it is crumpled up, this means we really only have to show the words abortion and so could make ourselves if need be.

final treatment

To Sin No More FINAL

treatment reading and feedback

On Tuesday 18th October we as a group read our first draft of our treatment out to an audience of Mr Hood and Mr Leach. These two people were chosen as Mr Hood is a professional media subject teacher meaning he has a wide range of knowledge about media concepts and was able to help guide us into producing our initial idea in the form of a treatment. Mr Leach is our Headteacher, what is unique about him though is that he conforms to the stereotypes of our chosen Antagonist. He is both Catholic and a step father, this means he could empathize with the plot.





This was a knowledgeable task as we were metaphorically treading on eggshells when referring to Catholicism. He helped ease the thought of offending Catholic people by reassuring us that we are approaching it in a mature, feasible way, himself knowing this as he is Catholic. An important note to realize is what Mr Hood stated about finding suitable actors. With not knowing their past we have to be very careful in asking people to act out a rape seen as it is a very sensitive subject. This will be a difficult task which we are confident in overcoming.

first treatment (draft)

To Sin No More

treatment research

film examples that may influence our use of conventions.

Carrie:
Carrie is a great example to use for conventions as it includes a highly religious woman who has been abused as well as elements of the supernatural. we will be able to construct our mother character based on the attire of Carrie's mother. looking at the film Carrie, it is noticeable that Carrie's mother covers everything up, she wears dresses up to her neck and down to her feet, this is much like our character samantha.



in this remix of clips there are several shots showing Carries mother in a variety of costumes. she is wearing nightwear as well as every day dress. her nightwear is land and very unappealing, she reveals no part of her body, this may be because of her religion or as well it could be because she has been abused. Her everyday dress is again very plain and un-revelaing. What it is very symbolic of that clip is that she is wearing near enough fully black clothing. this usually signifies that someone tends to be mourning someone who ha recently passed. this could be symbolic to her being abused and carrie being the result of rape, she cannot forget what has happened much like the death of a loved one.

Our mother however does not act in the same way as the mother in Carrie. Carrie's mother is out of the ordinary, she is portrayed as evil as if she is possessed by evil spirits, this is because she is hardcore catholic meaning she abides by every catholic law much like a nun. The mother we plan to use in our film is Highly Catholic although she is not as hardcore, she is genuine as we attempt to stick to realistic traits rather than over do it like in Carrie. this is most likely because Carrie is a horror film and the director tries to provoke fear using the Mother and her strong beliefs, we do not. we may choose to use the dress code of Carrie's mother however as she is dressed as a stereotypical Catholic woman, very influential to or character.

Group roles and responsibilities

• Director-
• Producer-
• Editor-
• Sound Editor-
• Special Effects Editor-
• Lighting Engineer-
• Sound Editor-
• Story Boarder-
• Script Writer-
• Treatment Writer-
• Location Scout-
• Talent Scout-
• Costume/Make Up-
• Props Manager-
• Continuity Manager-
• Camera Operator-
• Photographer-

further progress...

our first idea consisted of;

• a mother is seen  showing favoritism to one of her sons but not the other.
• she is distracted by a news report, the neglected son attempts to ask her why she prefers the other child, she does not answer.
• the boy keeps trying to get her attention. the mother is pre-occupied with staring at a news report on the TV.
• the news report shows a flash back or a girl being raped by her uncle (not actually showing the rape) loses her faith.
• the mother finally comes round and tells the son what happened and gives him a crucifix, showing she has forgiven what has happened.
• we then had an alternative ending; instead of the mother giving the son the crucifix he places it around her neck, then with cleverly selected editing we show the son does nt exist, she aborted the child at a young age.

There are still gaps in the idea which need improving, this is just the basis of our film, we will adapt and improve it further in our next discussion.

how we formed:

over the summer holidays, media students were required to produce a treatment and presentation suitable to fit a 5 minute short. The ideas were analysed and the best 4 would be put into a group, then the next 4 and so on and so forth. Our group was determined by this process and below shows each of our treatments;


Rob A2 Treatment Pitch from Gavin Hood on Vimeo.


Sam C A2 Treatment Pitch from Gavin Hood on Vimeo.
Sam has great knowledge about the technical elements on behalf of the film making process. he will prove to be a very vital member of the group as the depth and detail he can describe such as interesting camera angles and ways of doing things, will benefit our final product dearly.

Holly A2 Treatment Pitch from Gavin Hood on Vimeo.
Holly is highly beneficial to our group. Her excellent organisation and continuous ability to meet deadlines will ensure a guaranteed success in both the pre and post production of our product. Her idea of creating tension without using a murder weapon is very insightful, Its ideas like this which determine Holly a strong member of our group.

Adele A2 Treatment Pitch from Gavin Hood on Vimeo.
Adele is a very creative member among our group. the ideas she has put forward fit easily into our discussions and initial idea. This is why I believe she will be a substantial help in the production of our short.

IDEAS:
During our past two discussions our group has decided what we would like to include in our finished film. we have not yet set in stone our idea but know what we will use. we brainstormed ideas such as;

Include a quirky twist or twist at the end.

Not using a weapon to create suspense

Brothers that are compete for attention

An act of violence/abuse commited by a sibling for effect

A significant object that is a symbol for something

use religion as a theme.

using news reports to enter and exit normality in the film

use the "sixth sense" factor.

My group

This year my group consists of; Sam Clark, Holly Sandford, Adele Dibble and of course myself

Welcome

Welcome to my A2 media blog. This year I plan to continue my media studies in further detail, learning new skills and using new software. Through the process of this year I will contribute and make a 5 minute short as well as creating posters and reviewing the finished short.