Reflective Analysis!

Assessment 04

MDA1800 - Final Assessment - Film Treatment and Critique

This is the final assessment, and critique/commentary on writing/development process for MDA1800:
1800Assessment 04

MDA1800 - Final Assessment Development

I have decided to base the 2,000 word treatment we need to complete for the final 1800 assessment on a story I made for a previous assessment, which asked us to re-invent the play of MacBeth in a contemporary setting.
Here is my original idea:
MacBeth - reinvention

In preparation for the research for turning this idea into a full film treatment, I have ordered and am going to read and analyse the play MacBeth and the novel 'The Devil Wears Prada'.
I will also watch the film versions of these, and will try to find a modern version of MacBeth, so that I can get more ideas on how to transfer aspects of the story to a modern setting.
I am awaiting feedback on this assignment, so I will also consider the feedback when writing up the final assessment.

MDA1800 - Assessment 03 - Silent Film Scenario

For the third Assessment for this module, we were asked to write a 3 minute silent short filmable scenario:
The main inspiration for this piece came from a song: 'This is What Makes us Girls' by Lana Del Rey.
The song, I feel, evokes feelings of nostalgia, and really feels like it is being told from the point of view of a person, knowing the best times of their life have gone by, looking back and wanting to reclaim the happy memories of their past.
I feel that while her friend's death is tragic, it acts as a key for Maria, unlocking a door, so to speak, and allowing her to move on from her abusive present, after trying to re-invoke the past and moving to a possibly brighter future.

1800Assessment 03

MDA1800 - Assessment 02 - Film Analysis - Melancholia

For the 2nd Assessment for MDA1800, we were asked to analyse a film based on some of the terms seen previously in the module.

With it's theatrical Avant-Garde opening, and deep back-story, with a range of emotional character and a tragic ending, I decided to analyse Lars Von Trier's Melancholia in relation to the characteristics of The Well-Made Play.

1800Assessment 02

MDA1800 - Assessment 01 - The Death of Barbara Allen

For our first Summative assessment we were asked to create a short, filmable contemporary scenario based on one of the stories we have looked at in the first six weeks.
I chose to base my story upon 'The Ballad of Barbara Allen' which can be found here:
http://www.etni.org.il/music/barbaraallen.htm

I feel that this ballad in particular is suitable for a short, screen version, and I believe that what I imagine for it would be a strong visual scenario, and that the emotions and themes in the ballad, if portrayed effectively, would really strike a chord with and get an emotional response from audiences:

1800Assessment 01

MDA1800 - Written Assignment 01

This is the story I have written for my first assignment, which was inspired by the idea of the 'snake' character in The Fall of Man, who tempts another character (in this instance, the protagonist, Dean) to give into a desire and/or commit an action they shouldn't.

I have moved idea into a contemporary setting which I believe I, and many members of my target audience (which due to the premise of the story would be young adults, probably students,) would be able to relate to, as it is based around the idea of a student with work to do, being tempted to drink by his friend. I myself and I am sure many other people in my situation have been in this situation, so I believe that the feelings I tried to portray through my writing are easy for students to relate to.

Interestingly, in my story the snake character is not a villain as you'd expect, but a friend of the protagonist. Basically, they are a good character, but as their desires (wanting Dean to come out and drink) conflict with the desires of the protagonist (wanting to stay in and work while being tempted to go out and drink), it makes her the antagonist of the story.

The clock ticked deafeningly, monotonously; endlessly, as time lurched forwards, with the amount of words on the screen remaining painfully low. How long had Dean been writing this essay now? One hour? Even longer? Yet no matter how long he stared at the screen, his thought just didn’t materialise. He could hear voices upstairs; more students like him, but were they sitting here slaving away over an essay? Of course not! Judging by their voices they were all well on the way to having a good night. Half a bottle of vodka glinted in the corner of his eye, reflecting the dim lamplight. ‘If only,’ he thought; a couple of drinks and he’d be well on the way to having a good night and enjoying himself with everyone else; not having to sit here withering away at a screen.

                Dean’s ringtone shocked him out of his little daydream, and praising a distraction he didn’t create himself, he answered. “Party on 3^rd floor mate!” said Rochelle, one of his flatmates, “Then we’re off to Eden Bar. Pound drinks tonight! Can’t go wrong with that!”
“I can’t, I’m so sorry,” replied Dean, horrified with himself for turning down pound drinks on a Saturday night. “I have an assignment to do, and if I don’t get it done now I never will.”
“Did you hear what I said?” she demanded, in mock anger, “pound drinks!”
“I know, I know, I just don’t feel up to it, I mean, I’ve been a-“
“I expect you to be up here in half an hour or I’m coming to get you. You know you want to come out!”
“I do, but –“
“Well come on then, you know you want to… you have to… you need to!” she teased in a jokingly alluring manner.
“No, I can’t, and that’s my fi-“ the phone was dead.

                So there he sat… watching the screen, time once again dragging by as slow as ever, the bottle still glinting in the light, almost winking, as alluring as the idea of those pound drinks… No, thought Dean, you can’t go out tonight, you have to get this work done. ‘But work doesn’t mean you can’t have a drink’, said one strikingly familiar voice in his head, ‘one drink won’t hurt will it, it might even help get those ideas flowing… you know you want to have one at least, just to ease the stress of the work if anything.’

                ‘One won’t hurt, you’re right’, Dean decided. Walking across the room, he grabbed the bottle and mixed himself a well-deserved drink. After finishing it a bit quicker than he normally would have done, (to get back to his work, of course,) he felt that while it was enjoyable, the one drink really wasn’t that substantial. ‘That’s good’, said one part of his conscience. ‘You still feel fine so can get back to work.’ ‘Or’, interjected the other voice, ‘if it didn’t have any effect you could always have another as well… I mean, where’s the harm in one more mate?’ It wasn’t like he was drinking to get drunk or anything… now he thought about it his mouth was rather dry, and the drink he was mixing the vodka with was very refreshing, so as long as he didn’t mix too much in it will be ok! It’s just one small drink after all, something to refresh himself with. One more after that couldn’t hurt too right? So that once he’s finished his assignment he’ll be in a good place to relax for the night…

                ‘Speaking of the assignment’, thought Dean, ‘I think it’s about time I have a break. I wouldn’t want to overload myself after all. I might go upstairs; see what’s happening on the third floor…’

MDA1800 - Week One

For the first Storytelling for the Screen seminar we looked at two different Creation Myths. One, from the ancient Persian Zoroastrian religion, and the other was the story of the fall of man which forms part of the Christian Bible.

When looking at the Zoroastrian creation Myth, we were put into groups and told to think of the different ways we would represent the myth visually in a film.

The result of my groups work were that it would be shown from the prophets eyes, and the gods would never be seen by the audience to add to their transcendental nature. The way in which the lands are perfect until the evil God taints them would be shown by long, aerial shots sweeping across the landscapes which are then visually shown becoming darker as the voice over narration recounts the story.

We were also thinking of using the visual element of Chess as a metaphor, as it could represent the ongoing conflict between the Good and Evil in the humans who are neutral and able to go either way, and it also would tie in with the fact it is a Persian creation myth, as Chess is a significant part of Persian/Iranian traditional culture, as I know from my father being Iranian.

We were then asked to think of a story idea which would place the idea of the fall of man into a modern context, in which a person has paradise, and loses it all by yielding to temptation. Our idea was one in which a  person has a happy family life, and then strives to advance their career, as they believe it is what they want, only to lose their family due to their new priorities and realise that the family life was the paradise they wanted when it was too late.

After the seminar we were given assignments to research creation myths and choose one in particular, and state why we found it interesting and post it on the forum which I have done at this link:

http://oasisplus.mdx.ac.uk/webct/urw/lc993279821011.tp993279842011/newMessageThread.dowebct?discussionaction=viewMessage&messageid=1068624644041&topicid=1064960719031&refreshPage=false&sourcePage=

I have also listened to the 'Fall of Man' podcast, which I think raised some interesting points about the fall story, including the idea of the fall as a metaphor for growing up and maturing, and the views different religions (such as Judaism) has on the fall as well.

I also found it interesting to hear about the origins of the story, including the names Adam and Eve, and the use of the 'Apple' and how they tie in with different ideas and languages of ancient cultures who have similar myths.