Writing the Screenplay for A Level

So now that I have decided what I want the general story to be for my A Level, I am beginning to write the screenplay for my short film for when I film this weekend. Instead of just creating it on google drive now and imitating a design I had researched of what a screenplay looks like similar to what I did when writing the AS portion of the portfolio, I am now writing on celtx.com because it's easier to write on there because it structures it out for you. The website also has ways to create a shot list, and other ways that help you visualize your movie so it is pretty helpful. After writing a very general idea, I got to work on the shot list. Here is what I have so far:

Research for A Level

So the A Level has two other components besides the short film and the creative critical reflection which are the website and a postcard advertisement for the short film at the film festival, and I definitely don't want to undermine those tasks as I work on the major task of the A Level, so while I am currently unable to begin filming, I'm going to research the other two small aspects of the project.

I began by researching short film websites and how they can be used to properly market/form a following for the movie. I found this really interesting article on The Guardian that brought up the point that websites now a days require a lot of convergence with social media in order to be effective and competitive in the industry. This is making me wonder how I can construct a website and poster that works for the contemporary industry for my short film and how it could relate to the "film festival" it enters.

I also found an interesting article on Raindance that gave interesting tips on making your own short film. I found that the pointers given by the writer were very relevant and grounded. For example, they reiterate the idea that a short film should still have all the the exposition where the characters/setting are presented, a conflict (small, in order to ensure it can be resolved within the time frame of the film), and a resolution. They also suggest writing for your limitations and budgets which is something I want to keep in mind.

I finally saw some short films in order to gain inspiration and see how to tell the story as best visually as possible. Some that really got my attention were "Apricot" and "Just A Love Story". The second one I mentioned was really nice because it took place in one setting but it was unique and new (an elevator.)

One short film I had already seen that I have in mind for the type of tone I want the short film to be is "Crush". I like how the characters don't speak and instead there is music and voiceover to describe how they are feeling and carry the story.