Film Distribution Lists

Overview

You will get into your Superhero group and decide and distribute the requirements. Open the Distribution Act Template and go to File > Save copy as (do not just copy all and paste all). Then share with your classmates and make it public to view. Answer each statement while reading the info below to understand what to write:

Acts

Each group member will be responsible for writing & directing one act and will be graded only on that act (not a group grade). Decide which group member is responsible for each act.

If your group has four members then split Act II in half so it is Act IIa (first part of Act II) and Act IIb (last part of Act II).

Act I - include intro titles, introduction, establishing characters and plot

Act II - rising conflicts and story development

Act III - climax, falling action, resolution, & bloopers

Overall, the film will be about 4 minutes but cannot be longer than 4:59. Each act must be 60-90 seconds long (one point deduction per second penalty for that group member). AE Special Effects

You either have or will be learning how to do special effects and will have to use group must use each of the following somewhere in your film and each Act & member will have one of the bullets below:

  • flying (green screen)
  • transport (e.g. through space, objects, and/or walls)
  • freeze effect and also a separate duplicate (person) effect

Visual Effects (link: password howzit)

Must have at least one in each Act that you will use in your own creative way.

Filming

Each group film must contain all of the filming requirements listed on the right at least once in the whole film so decide who is using what and be sure not to miss any.

Master Shots

Later you will be learning how to shoot certain scenes, called Master Shots. Each member will have to incorporate at least two Master Shots in one of the categories (another one of your group members may not use the same category) below for their act so plan ahead in your storyline to make sure it can include the types of moods you want: mastershots.mouseflip.com. If you watch the video tutorial explanation and don't understand one of the scenes you can read a summary (password howzit).

    • Fighting SceneChasing Scene
    • Suspense, Shock, Fear
    • Revelation & Discovery
    • Argument, Conflict
    • Dialog Scene

Post

When you are finished, go to the Act Distribution Google Doc and press cmd + a and cmd + c and paste all the content into an email to Wordpress and post the link to the spreadsheet.

Do not do:

Post the Google Doc table link to Wordpress as well as the following (answer each for the character you personally are playing):

Character #1

(Student) Actor's Name:

Character Name:

Type (e.g. protagonist):

Description:

Personality:

Background:

Role in story:

Props and clothes you will bring for filming:

Do not do:

Requirements

Within your entire script, each of the shooting requirements in the right column must be written and used in the group's script. Divide them as equally as you can so that one member does not have many more of the shooting requirements than others. When you indicate each, write it in the following format:

    • If you are using a dutch angle, it is #5 on the list and in the Angles category so write DUTCH (A5); use the highlight color indicated on the right for each section as well.
    • Subject Shot: LONG SHOT (SS1)
  • Action Shot: REVERSE SHOT (AS4)
  • Cuts: REACTION (C2)

Copy the shooting requirement list on the right and paste it right before your Script Title Page & Act I. Then as you use one of the requirements in your Act of the script, write your name next to it like the example below. The last group member to write their Act should include all of the missing requirements not used. Of course you may use a requirement more than once.You have/will be learning how to create various effects in After Effects and will have to use and incorporate them in your storyline and film. In your script, indicate when you will use the AE effects in your script by writing the name in the following format on a separate line in the context of your storyline. They can be brief & you can have an actor play multiple roles by wearing different costumes.

(YT search these if you want to see ideas on what they are or how to use them)

Each act/person needs to use two of the following effects in their film:

    1. FLYING (EFFECT #1) (have to have a person appearing to be flying at least once in film)
    2. TIME FREEZE while everything else is still moving (EFFECT #2)
    3. CLONE (EFFECT #3) (having the same person in the same scene)
    4. JUMPER (EFFECT #4)
    5. VISUAL EFFECT (SMOKE EFFECT #5) use at least one of the visual effect in each Act

Copy the effect list (above) and master shot list (below) and paste it below your filming requirement list and follow the same guidelines and write your name next to the one you wrote in your act so that your group can be sure it uses all of them.

Your group must also use Master Cuts. Indicate when you will use the category/specific Master Shot in your script by writing the name in the following format on a separate line in the context of your storyline while using this format.

Each act/group member needs to use three Master Shots that are all in one of the categories below and two members in the same group cannot choose the same Master Shot group. For example, Act I may choose chasing and they have three Master Shots from that category and Act II has three Master Shots from the suspense category.

    • FIGHTING (MASTER SHOT #1)
    • CHASING (MASTER SHOT #2)
    • SUSPENSE (MASTER SHOT #3)
    • DISCOVERY (MASTER SHOT #4)
    • CONFLICT (MASTER SHOT #5)
    • DIALOG (MASTER SHOT #6)
    • ENTRANTS & EXITS (MASTER SHOT #7)
    • DRAMATIC SHIFT (MASTER SHOT #8)
    • DIRECTING ATTENTION (MASTER SHOT #9)

www.mastershots.mouseflip.com

Post

When finished, each group member should have at least a page and a half. Take screenshots of your completed work and email them to your Posterous along with the link to the Doc. The screenshots will serve as a backup files for your Doc.

Part C

Script

From Part A, converse and agree on one story idea. Now that your group has agreed on one storyline and its characters, you will now begin writing your script but before you start writing...make sure you have a funny, unique, creative, unpredictable, and original superhero storyline idea. Don't forget, the dialog will be either a narrator's voiceover or talking but you can't hear them. Voiceover is easier to explain what is happening; your actors really have to act well if you don't use any narration.

Each of the group members (3) will write one of the three acts of the storyline in the same group Doc the group has been working in (begin writing it on a new page below the other info on the Doc...insert a page break to move to the next page). When you write Act I write your name who wrote that Act in parentheses. Example: Act I (Jenny Lee)

You do not have to work on it at the same time or discuss who is doing what. Whoever starts working on it first can choose what part they want to work on and try to meet some of the requirements. Remember, you are not allowed to meet as a group physically.

Follow the guidelines on how to write your script and post according to Posterous and the spreadsheet.