Evaluation

From studying South Korean films, I found out that women are often represented as the eccentric heroine character and that many of the popular films are dark and horrific, the characters use inventive murder weapons and there is often a theme of revenge. The eccentric heroine character was often found  in romantic comedy films where the main female character was quite clumsy and was the boss. In '100 Days With Mr Arrogant' in particular, the eccentric heroine character has ideas of revenge which helps bring out the characteristics even more to the audience. The films in which were dark and horrific, were often thriller's, they were used to emphasise the struggle of identity that the country has been put through over the years. To incorporate all of these factors, I decided to make a film a mixture of the romantic comedy and thriller genre, as South Korean films tended to break many rules anyway.

The eccentric heroine character type is characterised by the "boyishness" within both the character's physique and personality, they are often clumsy and not very domestic. I noticed that this character type is often common within Korean romantic comedy films and as my film was partly within this genre, it should include this type of character. I tried to reinforce this stereotype, mostly at the end of my script and key frames, when Ji-Min (the main female protagonist) has taken both her friend and boyfriend into the small, dark room and is connected with the frame of the spade to give the impression that she is to attack with this weapon. From our own experiences from Hollywood films, this is not a typically feminine trait, to kill or harm with this particular weapon so by choosing this mise-en-scene item it brings with it the "masculine" atmosphere, which helps build up the idea of the eccentric, boyish character type. I had the character only speak through a voice over so that she was expressing her personal thoughts and feelings about each situation, this helped build up this character type as we (as an audience) would get to see her plans of revenge and what she feels and wants to do.

The images below compare eccentric heroine's from other South Korean films to my eccentric heroine. I feel that my eccentric heroine character appeared quite effective due to the actions that she completed and the locations that she was within. However, I feel that I could have made this character type more effective by having her hair and makeup not so perfect within the dark rooms scenes as characters within the other films did not always have perfection within this all of the time, this may have built up the image of the eccentric heroine more. If I had another chance at making the key frames show this character type more, I would have darkened the shots of her face more as her face is very bright in a lot of shots which is not entirely accurate for the eccentric heroine. I would have also experimented with the costume that I put her in as although I was trying to put her in white to create the school girl type image, I think that it made her look too feminine so I would experiment with putting her in different coloured clothing and perhaps also clothing that was more baggy or casual to emphasise the boyish-ness within her appearance.

The other popular thing that I picked up from my research was the use of the films being dark and horrific, the inventive murder weapons and the theme of revenge. The dark and horrific films with this type of cinema were often within the thriller genre, for example Old Boy, and as my film was to be half within this genre, I decided to use this within my key frames. As my key frames were to be a mixture of these genres, I decided that I would set the locations within a school (as this tended to be popular within the romantic comedy genre) and in the dark location (to emphasise the darkness within the film.) The dark location was to be used for the close, intensive scenes, which included the capturing of the best friend and the boyfriend. I think that this worked well and looked effective but there was a lot I could have done to make it look better. As I needed such a contrast with the two locations, I should have made the shots in the dark room darker, by controlling the lighting much more, and not have the faces of the characters lit up so much. The whole frame should have been darker to create more of an atmosphere. I could have also improved the frames of the best friend and boyfriend in this dark room as both of these shots have a white background behind them which makes them look less effective and less dark and horrific; this is then breaking this stereotype and doesn’t make it as effective. By also having this white backdrop there is then created a shadow behind the characters, although this looks effective I think that this should be completely dark behind them, as this would be what it would look like in a Korean movie.

The inventive murder weapons was pulled off effectively in my key frames as when the weapon is revealed, the spade, it helps build up the eccentric heroine character type as mentioned before. It also brings an element of surprise with it as the audience would not have expected the character to act like this and the element of surprise is very popular within South Korean cinema. I feel that the use of this mise-en-scene object was done so effectively.

The theme of revenge was important within my key frames as the reason the character captured the other two was revenge of what they did to her. From my research I learnt that the theme of revenge is extremely popular and common within South Korean films, perhaps because of what Korea have gone through in the past and they feel that revenge is something that is building up inside them. The character within my key frames reveals within her voice over “This is my revenge.” This is revealed after the audience is shown her best friend and boyfriend together and she reveals within her voice over that they are meeting behind her back. I feel that the theme of revenge was effective within my key frames as it brings another idea and causes the whole reason for this short film. 

Generally, I think I pulled my key frames off effectively and successfully to be like a South Korean film 

20 Key Frames

1.

The first frame is in the location of a dark room in which we later realise could be a tool shed; this location both opens and closes the frames. I tried to make this location as dark as possible through the lighting but this appeared quite difficult so I had to try and darken the shot up more during the editing process. Whilst editing the photo, I tried to darken the background more, which I feel worked really effectively. I also softened the shot during the editing process to give more of a dream like appearance which worked well with the mixture of genres that I wanted to achieve within the key frames. I also liked how by softening the shot, some parts of the frame were more in focus than others were, giving the frame more of a dimension. This first frame is used to introduce the actor/character to the audience creating the beginning of the narrative and showing the audience how this character would be feeling and her initial thoughts and feelings. This is the reason in which I had the character have her hands stretched over her face, to convey some sort of distressed feelings to the audience. She is introducing the narrative and purpose to the audience, shown through her voice over "Boys are the root of our problems. Things happen everyday caused by the effect of them.", this voice over introduces to the audience what is due to happen and the purpose of all the key frames. There would be no other sound around as the character is portrayed on her own and the voice over is representing her own thoughts and is more focused on this way. The close up helps introduce the audience to this character as they are aligned with this character from the beginning which creates a relationship and helps them side with her the rest of the way through. 

2.

This second frame shows the main female protagonist walking through the corridors of her school and is prior to the narrative showing the female's problems with men. The lighting is bright in this location as noted in my research and planning. I tried to again soften this shot during the editing process to try and not have the shot too bright and I think it again helped to focus on the actor rather than the background. I didn't want to edit the people out of the background as I thought that realistically this would be a location in which many people would continually be walking through so felt that this created the shot to look more realistic. If in a filmed sequence, I think I would include background noises of the school children laughing and talking to create more of an atmosphere.

3.

This shot is the first of many in which shows characters who have had their lives affected by males. The writing stating "her boyfriend dumped her to play football" would be voiced in a filmed sequence in Korean language and just include this English subtitle, in which many included in my films that I studied. I edited this photo to make the background a lot softer so that the character would stand out more and the whole shot looks a lot nicer too. As well as having a voice over, I would be including diegetic sounds of the school children in the background again. 

4. 

I really liked how bright this shot turned out as it really highlighted what I wanted to show; it really emphasised the difference between this location and the location within the dark room. The scripted words along the bottom would again be voiced through a voice over, likewise in the previous shot. I would again use the background noises of the school children to create the atmosphere as above. I edited the photo the same with having most of the shot in a soft focus but having the characters out of this to make them more visible and the main point to the audience's eye as they are the most important part.   

5.

Within this shot, I chose not to edit the additional people out of the background as I think they helped make the shot look more realistic to a school setting. However, I did edit the photograph to create the soft focus to identity the important character within the frame. There were imperfections with the window looking dirty in the frame but I kept this as I feel that it helped create the realistic image of the school as a school would never look perfectly clean. I made the actor hold the mise-en-scene items of her coke bottle and having her headphones in to make the shot look more realistic as she wouldn't just be focusing at the camera and would be doing other things. There would again be the voice over within this shot with the words shown at the bottom of the frame, there would be background noises of the school children and also footsteps as there are people walking through the shot. 





6.

In this shot I really liked the use of the editing that I achieved as although the soft focus doesn't look too much, the character looks much more in focus than everything else and I felt that this looked really effective. We can see things happening in the background of the frame to make it look more realistic too. This shot is to establish the change in location. 



7.

I again used the soft focus to highlight the characters in this frame and I think it worked really effectively, I feel that this frame also creates questions in the audiences minds whether these events are real or whether it is all in her head as the frame looks really dream like. The subtitles at the bottom would again be voiced through a voice over and there would be background noises going on. I liked how I positioned the actors within this frame to not be focusing on the camera at all and just be focusing on each other. 



8.

I used soft focus again in this shot and I feel that it again helps the audience to focus on the actor to create a focal point of the frame and also builds on this dream like atmosphere that this could all not be real. I included the people in the background to create the atmosphere once again. I also brightened this shot up during the editing process to create more of a contrast between this setting and the dark roomed setting. I would have the words spoken through a voice over in Korean and background noises of both students and also the actor typing on the keyboard in a filmed sequence to emphasise other things going on within the shot. 

9.



The shot focal editing looked really effective within this shot as it really blurs out the background but still keeps all of the other school children in sight. I tried to darken this shot down as with all the lights shining in the frame, I felt that the shot could possibly be too bright. I would have many diegetic sounds in this frame of the school children as it is more of an open area where the children would have more freedom. 

10.



I liked in this frame how the characters were not interacting with the camera again to help create the idea of lots of things going on and happening. I would have some background noises of students in this frame but as they are not visible so much, I would use diegetic sounds of the two actors on screen interacting with one another to make it seem more realistic with them talking to one another. The editing with the soft focus helps build the idea to the audience that these are the only characters who matter within the scene. 

11.



This frame has a lot of the soft focal editing within it which really blurs out the background and puts the emphasise on the character. I cropped this shot so that it was more focused on the actor. The subtitles would again be spoken through a voice over and there would be background noises of the actor typing on the keyboard. 

12.

The soft focal editing within this shot really emphasises the main focal point within the shot. I really like how the frame is positioned so that the two bookcases are either side of the shot and create the feeling of being trapped within them both. There would be little noise within this shot as it would be silent to reflect the character's feelings. 

13.

This shot was positioned from slightly below the frame wanting to view so that we are looking across at the actor from the table behind. The shot would have little background noise to create the ideal setting but would be mostly focused with the subtitled phrase being spoken through the voice over as this is the most important part of the sound and is what the audience should be focusing on. 

14.

This shot is taken from a low angle to create the feeling that we are looking from the main protagonist's eyes and her view on things. There would be little background noise of other students to create an atmosphere and there would be noises of the two characters who are visible within the shot interacting with one another. The voice over would be the main source of sound from within this shot as this is what the audience should be focusing on.

15.

This shot was located within the dark room and I started off making this frame darker but I felt that it hid too much of the character's emotions and identity so I had to made the frame brighter so that the character was more visible. This shot would be silent within a filmed sequence to help build up the suspense of the shot and create more of an atmosphere. 



16.



This shot would also be silent within a framed sequence to again build up the suspense and atmosphere within these selection of frames. This shot was located within the dark room and I started off making this frame darker but I felt that it hid too much of the character's emotions and identity so I had to made the frame brighter so that the character was more visible. 

17.

This shot was located within the dark room and I started off making this frame darker but I felt that it hid too much of the character's emotions and identity so I had to made the frame brighter so that the character was more visible. This frame would be silent in concern with diegetic sound but would include the subtitled phrase through a voice over to build up suspense and also so that only the audience would know the characters thoughts and feelings and what she is planning on doing, dramatic irony.

18.

I tried to edit this frame to change the colouring of the shot and to darken it too as it looked too bright. I chose the blue colouring to add to the shot as it creates more of a suspense and atmosphere to the image. I also cropped this image right down as I thought it looked too open before so tried to make it closer and more personal with what the object is. I kept all of the other objects within the background to create the idea that they are perhaps in a tool shed as this is not seen in any of the other shots so I wanted to display it more within this shot. 

19.

This shot was located within the dark room and I started off making this frame darker but I felt that it hid too much of the character's emotions and identity so I had to made the frame brighter so that the character was more visible. I tried to keep the frame reasonably dark though, showing the really dark background colour. 

20.





This shot was located within the dark room and I started off making this frame darker but I felt that it hid too much of the character's emotions and identity so I had to made the frame brighter so that the character was more visible. I tried to change the colour of the frame so that the actor's face wasn't too orange coloured under the bright lights, I tried to make the actors face more neutral coloured and tried darken it down. 

Textual Analysis

Layout for 20 Key Frames and Treatment

1. Set in a dark room with little bright lighting, coloured white or yellow, on the actor's face shining from above whilst actor sitting on the floor. Close up of main protagonist's face with hands covering bottom half of nose and mouth, fingers spread apart covering as much as possible, whilst she is staring at camera. This shot is introducing the character to the audience and showing how she would be feeling and showing part of her troubled mind. Actor's hair will be down, covering her identity slightly. The previous shots to this would include having a close up of the back of her head whilst she is positioned on the left hand side and her shoulder being in the bottom right hand corner as if the audience are looking over her shoulder into the darkness. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "Boys are the root of our problems. Things happen everyday caused by the effect of them."

The shot will look somewhat similar to the image above, but the actor will be positioned closer to the frame and bigger in the shot.

This image is taken from Old Boy, and this is the look that I wish to achieve for my first key frame. It is set in a small dark room and is a close up of his face. The audience can notice the facial expressions and are introduced to the character through this.




2. Set in a school corridor, with students walking around the free space and standing against the walls. Wide shot of Ji-Min walking down the corridor. The wide shot shows her loneliness and how she is on her own, amongst the rest of the students within the school. The camera is behind Ji-Min to show how the audience are watching her and her story. If in a filmed sequence, the camera would then cut to different shots of her walking through these corridors, for example as an extreme close up of her feet and a wide shot from in front of her.

The shot will look similar to one of the images above, ensuring that the surroundings around are visible. 

 

This image from Il Mare is what I wish to achieve from the second key frame. I really like the use of the bright light coming through from the windows. However, I would wish for the camera to be behind the main actress and be watching things around her, instead of watching the main character from behind another character as we are seeing the story unfold from Ji-Min and her perspective of things happening.

3. Set in a school corridor, with a mid shot of one of the girls in the corridor. She is the main focus of the shot but with her friends standing behind her and uses shallow focus to blend the picture in with it together. If in a filmed scene, the camera would then show a different shot of this same girl but from the side. There would be a voice over this shot if in a filmed sequence, talking about the difficultly in that girl's life related to a problem with a boy. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "Her boyfriend dumped her to play football."

The shot will look similar to the image above, but there would be more things happening in the background of the shot. 

4. Set in the school corridor again, mid shot of two different girls facing away from each other in the corridor. The lighting is bright on them and is showing how they are currently not speaking to one another and are only speaking to others around the setting. If in a filmed scene, there would then be a mid shot of these two girls but from the opposite side and then would cut to a high angle looking down on these two girls. There would be a voice over on this shot, if in a filmed sequence, talking about the problem that happened in these girls lives. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "Those girls both liked the same boy and fell out about it."


5. Setting once again is the brightly lit school corridors with students standing around speaking to one another. Mid shot of the front of one girl in the corridor, she will be facing the camera but looking in different directions. If in a filmed sequence, the camera would then show a medium close up of the same girl but from behind as she is walking away on her own. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "Her boyfriend was more interested in himself than her."

This image is from Il Mare and I again like the lighting in this shot. I think that this idea will look well with the different characters as it will be telling their story and what has been happening to them, so I like how the camera focuses on just them. I also like how the actor isn't just concentrating on the camera though and is focusing on different things around as this is what my actors would be doing as they are unaware of the camera focusing on them and Ji-Min telling of their stories.

6. Setting now jumps to a brightly lit classroom with students scattered around the room sitting on chairs and chatting to one another. Wide shot/ over the shoulder shot of Ji-Min in the classroom being able to see students sitting around the room within the frame. Ji-Min is sitting on the right hand side of the frame, with only half of her back and hair visible. If in a filmed sequence, the camera would then move round to be a medium close up of sitting at the desk so that her facial expressions were visible and the audience would know how she is currently feeling.

This image from 100 Days with Mr Arrogant, fits how I imagine key frame six to look. I like how the shot and location are bright and we are watching students talking around the room. I also like how things are going on in the background. However, from looking at this I feel that my camera shot needs to be positioned further back than this is as Ji-Min isn't being involved in the conversation's within my script.

7. Setting once again in the same brightly lit classroom with the students sitting in multiple places around the room. Mid shot of two of the girls whom are sitting in the classroom, chatting. The actors take up most of the frame and their faces is what the audience focus on. The camera is round the front of the girls and we are able to see their faces throughout. If was in a filmed sequence, this shot would be following a mid shot of the back of the actors to keep the camera moving around them both. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "That girl "tutors" her best friend's boyfriend."

8. Setting in the same brightly lit classroom, but camera moved to focus in on another group of females. Mid shot of one girl standing on her own in the classroom. She is shown being on her own and lonely whilst the voice over is explaining what her story is. If this was part of a filmed sequence, there would be a high angle of this same girl after this shot. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "She had a dream that her boyfriend was cheating on her and started to accuse him the next day."

9. The setting has now moved into the restaurant, which is a brightly lit room with tables all around with multiple different groups sitting down and standing around too. Over the shoulder shot of Ji-Min in the restaurant, with girls all standing around chatting. The camera is behind the actress, whilst she is standing on the right hand side of the shot, the camera has been positioned this way so that the audience can clearly see the location setting.

10. The setting is still in the restaurant with the multiple groups sitting around the room. Mid shot of a girl and her boyfriend in the setting whilst they sitting down at a table staring at each other. If within a filmed sequence, this shot would be followed by an extreme close up of the characters hands together.If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "That girls boyfriend told her that her best friend was lying to her, they now don't talk."

11. Setting is still in the brightly lit restaurant. Mid shot of one girl sitting at a table. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "That girl went out with her friends ex."

12. Setting changed into library where there are different groups of people around. Over the shoulder shot of Ji-Min sitting in the library. Students sitting all around. Wide shot so that the different tables and space can be seen. Ji-Min is sitting with her back to the camera and on the right hand side of the shot.

13. Setting in the brightly lit library. Wide shot of Ji-Min sitting on her own in the library to show her loneliness and how she is on her own. Camera is positioned on the bookshelf and filmed from this distance away. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "But I've never met a girl worse than her."

14. Setting in the brightly lit library. Low angle of Eun-Seo and Shi-Woo flirting above where Ji-Min is sitting. We see from Ji-Min's perspective, so the reader is sided with her and can feel the way that she would be feeling. If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "She's supposed to be my best friend, he's supposed to be my boyfriend. I wouldn't class that as a best friend though."

15. Set in a small, tightly spaced dark room with little bright lighting, coloured white or yellow, on the actor's face from before, whilst actor sitting on the floor. Close up of Eun-Seo's face, focusing on her facial expressions looking scared and focusing on her eyes. Eun-Seo is sitting straight up as she is sitting back to back with Shi-Woo and they are tied together as prisoners, she is sitting very still. This is the first shot since we saw the low angle of both characters (Eun-Seo and Shi-Woo) where the main protagonist explains how her bestfriend is with her boyfriend and how unhappy and disturbed she is about the situation.

This image is taken from A Tale of Two Sisters and is positioned in a dark room with a close up of the actors face looking afraid. I like how the camera is so close to the actors face as it really emphasizes her feelings and expressions.






16. Set in a small, tightly spaced dark room with little bright lighting, coloured white or yellow, on the actor's face from above, whilst actor sitting on the floor. Close up of Shi-Woo's face, focusing on his eyes moving whilst he is looking all around the room but with no body movements. Facial expressions include looking scared. The actor is seen sitting straight up as he is back to back with Eun-Seo and they are tied together. This shot is quickly cut from the previous close up on Eun-Seo's face, which gives the impression of their connection with one another. Eun-Seo has similar facial expressions to Shi-Woo so the audience can understand what is going on.

17. Set in the same small, tightly spaced dark room from the previous two shots, with controlled little bright lighting again, which is coloured white or yellow. Close up of Ji-Min's face focusing on the few blood drops dripping down her pale cheeks, showing what is soon to happen. This shot is followed after the close up's of the other two characters faces to show that they now know what is to happen as they know what they have done wrong and how she would be feeling, and what they would be scared of. If in a filmed sequence, this shot would be followed by a close up of the back of her head in the corner of the shot and being able to see the other two characters in front of her, building this relationship together again.If a filmed sequence, the language would be in Korean and there would be English subtitles, likewise my studied films, so I will put a subtitle on the bottom of the key frame stating "This is my revenge."

18. Set once again in a very dark and enclosed space, to build the tension up. Close up of a spade being held in Ji-Min's hand which reveals more of a setting to the audience as they are being revealed to what the main protagonists intentions may be. There is little bright lighting on the main focus of the shot of the spade to reveal again the characters intentions.

19. Set once again in the same dark, enclosed room to build up the suspense. Close up of Ji-Min's face, with little bright lighting, smiling into the camera to give the impression to the audience that she is staring at them, keeping them involved. This shot follows the shot of the spade as the audience have gained a bigger insight into the way this character is progressing and is now acting.

20. Set once again in this same dark, enclosed room. Extreme close up of Ji-Min's eyes staring into the camera. Controlled lighting on the shot to build up the tension and darkness of South Korean films. This shot finishes the whole sequence as it leads up to a cliff hanger as they audience then are unsure what is to happen next.

A Risk Assessment

Evidence Of Casting Considerations

Ji-Min

  

The actor that I have casted for Ji-Min fit the criteria well as she had the image that I was hoping for. Her hairstyle was ideal for the type of character that I wanted to cast and the image that I imagined. She had the 'beautiful' image but also could fit well into the eccentric heroine type of character that I wished for within Ji-Min. This actor also had the typical school girl image that I was hoping for.

 

The actor in the image above is from the South Korean movie, 100 Days With Mr Arrogant. She is a young school girl but doesn't look too young, which I what I imagined within Ji-Min too. She is very pretty, elegant and cares for her appearance but also is the eccentric heroine that I wanted Ji-Min to be, by the way she acts. I based my character, Ji-Min, on this character from 100 Days With Mr Arrogant.

Eun-Seo

 

 








 I chose this actor for Eun-Seo as she almost has a cheeky look that is suitable for Eun-Seo and seemed appropriate for the character. She also has the school-girl image that I wanted for Eun-Seo. The actor has experience with camera work previously and knows how to act in the key frames to perform the photos that I wanted to take of her.

I based Eun-Seo on the female characters from 100 Days With Mr Arrogant, she is to be a young girl with a cheeky nature likewise the school girls from this film. However, I don't want her to look too young, so will not place her in the costume of school uniform to make her look more mature and older by being in the upper school.  

Shi-Woo

 

I chose this actor for Shi-Woo as he had previous experience with camera work and drama, knowing how the create the facial expressions for the key frames. He had the image to have easily fit in with a school as he was the right age range. He has the dark hair that I wished for Shi-Woo and the perfect image that I was looking for. He also has a sneeky and cheeky look about him, exactly what I wanted for Shi-Woo.

 

 

 

I based Shi-Woo's character on the male character from 100 days with mr arrogant, as I wanted him to look charismatic and quite powerful and vain, likewise this character does. I wanted the actor to have care over his appearance, this being visible to the audience, and have dark hair matching this character. I wanted him to look confident as this is how Shi-Woo would act and be very sure of himself.

 

 

I want to use actors within the school age range but do not want to put these actors in the costume of school uniform as I do not wish them to look too young as I wish them to look in the age range of the upper school. I wish the actors to be wearing smart business dress for the shots to dress them up for the atmosphere.