A 'MacGuffin' is a plot device which acts as a goal or motivating object/person in a film. Sometimes it can be the most vital part of a film's storyline but it is the effect of the McGuffin on the characters and motivation which is what makes it important. It leads a film from one part to the next and helps the story keep moving.
Commonly the MacGuffin is focused on in a film in the first act, and after this becomes less important. A lot of the time they reappear towards the end of the film (or in the third act) and help the problems which have arisen in the film become resolved.
Example
For example in "The Shawshank Redemption" the central MacGuffin could be seen as the pick. This is because early on in the film it's introduced and helps Andy and Red become familiar with one another, developing the characters relationship. Although the pick is prominent throughout the film, it declines in importance because the viewer assumes Andy is just using it to carve small rocks. It regains importance towards the end of the film however when we discover that Andy has actually been using it to escape prison - a big twist on the film which is unexpected and resolves the main issue (Andy's innocent).
This week we were given the brief for our FMP's. I decided to do a mix of both publishing and moving image, by making a magazine and promotional video to go with it. This is a mindmap I made while thinking out ideas for what this magazine could be based on:
From the middle bubble I branched out into four different magazine themes - Fashion, Youth, Skateboarding & a magazine/lookbook for a brand.
For the theme of fashion I started to think out locations, brands and models. I chose to focus on streetwear brands like supreme, palace, bronze56k, converse etc. because these are the brands which I'm most interested in and know the most about. I also asked myself where I want to shoot my photos and went for urban locations such as Bristol and Bath, as well as countryside heavy rural area's where I could capture nice light and blue skies. I think these two locations contrast against each other and will look good together. Lastly I had the task of picking models. I decided that I wanted people who look different and/or interesting, in order to stand out. I will research further into this.
The theme of skateboarding was very appealing to me as well as it's something I'm very passionate about. From this theme I wanted it to have variety, because there's lots of skateboard magazines out already so mine would have to be different in order to stand out. I also wanted it to feature interviews with skateboarders from the local area and focus on skate culture. To do this I plan to research via platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to find individuals. The magazine would be fairly photo heavy so I jotted down some ideas of cameras I could use (digital/35mm film) and different editing techniques.
I chose not to create a clothing brand and do a magazine around that however, because I had already done a very similar project to this in previous publishing lessons and wanted to do something different. Also with this idea I'd be fairly limited in what I could write about and present in a magazine, and it would take a lot of time.
I found that it would be quite hard to make a full magazine just focused on a specific theme. Due to this I started leaning towards the theme of 'youth' because through this I would be able to incorporate all of the themes into one magazine. After making this decision, I made another mind map which focused on the youth theme and what I need to do in my magazine.
I decided that it should focus on youth culture, and contain pieces focusing on music, skating, fashion and youth. I came up with these four things because I asked myself what interests me. In this mindmap I also listed the technicalities of the magazine which I need to decide. In the end I chose to make a 210mm x 210mm magazine, in full colour which is 30 pages long (including the cover). The pages will be 170gsm and the cover 300gsm.
In pre production I will have to create a moodboard, plan of pages, contact people and create a storyboard and shot list for the advert. I will also do lots of research in this pre production period.
In film, the Three Act Structure is used in screenwriting to split a narrative into 3 parts - The Setup, Confrontation and Resolution.
The 2016 film 'Swiss Army Man' follows this structure to portray the story in an effective way. I have written a brief summary of each act in the film.
Act 1
Introduced to Hank who is stuck on a desert island alone, about to end his life. He sees a body washed up on shore and starts speaking to him because he's gone slightly mad from being marooned for so long. He names the body 'Manny' and is able to use it like a jetski to ride across the ocean. Later that night the corpse is able to speak to him as well as do other useful things like provide him with water. Manny has no recollection of his past life and has a child like mind.
Act 2
Hank tells Manny about his past life and teaches him about aspects of life as they try and make their way back to civilisation. Hank uses litter and plants to demonstrate these aspects of life such as movies, partying and eating out. During this, Hank leads Manny to believe that Manny is in love with a woman named Sarah, who rides the bus alone every day. Manny falls in love with Sarah, and it is this love that motivates him to try and find civilization with Hank. In reality, Hank is very much in love with Sarah, having seen her riding the bus every day but never talking to her due to his own shyness. He has a photo of her that he took secretly while on the bus set as the wallpaper on his phone and follows her on social media. As he looks through photos, it is revealed that Sarah is happily married and has a child. Manny and Hank have a falling out after Hank reveals that Manny never knew Sarah during his life.
Act 3
Hank and Manny make it back to civilisation finally and arrive in Sarah's back garden, however Manny turns back into a corpse which Hank doesn't believe and tries to prove to everyone how he's a real person. Finally, by the ocean with a news team, Hank, Hank's Father, and Sarah's Family, Manny begins violently farting until he floats back into the ocean and skims quickly away, propelled by his own flatulence. Manny and Hank share one last smile.
In filmmaking, the 180° rule is a guideline that means the action should be all shot from one side. The diagram below helps explain this:
As shown by the diagram, the actors are connected by a line (the line of action). The rule means that all cameras must stay on one side of this line (green cameras are in the right place, whereas the red one is wrongly placed). If a shot from a green camera cut to a shot from the red camera, the rule would be broken and the scene would look unnatrual because the characters would swap places on screen.
We made a short video breaking the rule to learn about it and to demonstrate what it looks like when it's broken:
When making a film, there's a massive amount of different roles that need to be taken on by a crew. Below is a diagram which represents this, showing how each role is working for a higher role leading up to the executive producer.
The entire process of the filmmaking is made easier because of this hierarchical format, which splits the operations and tasks into small groups so each professional can do their job efficiently and smoothly. Depending on the popularity and genre of film, the crew can range in size from hundreds to thousands of individuals, each with different responsibilities and roles to adhere to. The roles are not only useful on set however. Different roles will have tasks to do at different stages of production (pre-production, production, post-production and distribution). It all starts with an executive producer.
This scene opens with an extreme long shot to establish the setting as well as to visualise the fact that the characters are travelling in a car. It shows the audience that this is a rural area in the countryside, with nobody around as the car is isolated.
We're led onto this second long shot which shows where the car is actually travelling to, as it shows two subjects: the car (which is in focus) and an old house/farm (in the background but subject is moving towards it).
Next, a medium shot is used which continues on from the previous shot to reveal who is in the car. The shot reveals the two main characters in the foreground, another old police officer in the background, and a dog, which are all introduced.
It quickly cuts to a new location, showing an old man. A close up is used to show the character in detail while he speaks.
This medium shot shows the main characters listening to the old man, from his point of view. They are arranged symmetrically to look uniform and appealing.
Simon Pegg turns around to discuss what the man has said with the two other officers, turning his back to him. The man in still visible in the background however, to remind the audience that he is still there, and for comedic effect as he's being talked about. The shot still remains a medium shot, but it's a bit tighter.
It then cuts to a long shot as Simon Pegg replies to the old man, which reveals the setting in more detail, with the old looking chair, barricaded gate and wall separating the group from the old man.
We then cut back to this medium shot as Simon Pegg continues to reply to the old man.
Next, this medium shot is used to show the isolated old man's response, and to connote the fact that he is alone. This shot also reveals more of the location.
It then alternates between these two shots as they have a conversation, until, the old man says something shocking, which is responded by a fast dolly zoom towards Simon Peggs's face in shock, building suspense and dramatic tension before changing to the next scene.
Dolly Zoom towards Simon Pegg
The shot starts in complete darkness, then a door is opened revealing a shed, as light casts a silhouette on the interior of the shed through the door. This gives off a mysterious vibe and leads the audience the question whats inside, as it's hidden by darkness. The shot is a long shot to establish the location.
It then changes to this close up showing the old fashioned light switch suggesting more about the area, with the old mans hands turning them on, to reveal whats inside the shed. This is a suspenseful shot.
Next, lots of quick shots are cut with each other showing the lights turning on and a range of close ups of a variety of guns, to show the impressive collection. This is done to add intensity to the scene and to impress and shock the audience as it is unexpected. The shots are each under a second long and are very fast.
Next, this medium shot zooms slowly in towards Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, showing their astonished reactions to the room. By zooming in, their facial expressions are shown in more detail.
When making a film, there are a lot of roles and things that need to be considered before, during and after the film is shot (pre production, production and post production). A film as big as The Hobbit takes a lot of planning and people to make it work (not to mention money). During pre production everything needs to be worked out and tested so that it's ready for filming, such as equipment, storyboarding, casting, hiring a crew and actors and much more. After this is the actual production, where shooting takes place and depending on the film, hundreds of people are needed, which all need to eat, sleep, drink and wash, not to mention getting them all to specific locations on time. This costs a lot of money, so financial backup is usually arranged in pre production to fund the whole process. Planning in pre production is crucial, as it needs to be done thoroughly to execute the production efficiently and correctly. Lastly comes post production, where the whole film is edited and a trailer is usually cut here, as well as branding and advertising, which helps get the film out there and hyped in time for its screening.
This is the video we watched that showed a few days during the making of the Hobbit, which really gives a perspective on how important each intricate detail of making a film is, and shows how large scale the whole operation is too:
This is a table I made which shows all of the different roles/items that need to be considered at each stage of making a film:
