The Handover - Induction Continuity Short Film

What was the film brief?

Our brief was to make a film involving the exchange of a package in around 20 shots. We quickly decided that it should be a comedy, but with a serious, dark and thrilling tone to the beginning to make the ending unexpected and exciting. We made certain choices concerning the colour of the film and in particular the sound to achieve this and I think we accomplished the comical effect as the average audience member finds the ending of the film both unexpected and hilarious!

What is the plot of the film?

The film opens with a wide shot of our two characters coming together in a Mexican stand-off style, moving in for multiple close-ups and extreme close ups to build atmosphere. The move towards the bench includes our moving shot as the package is carried along, and a great worm's eye view as they sit down. We used some fairly simplistic mid shots of the bag's exchange and opening, switching to a POV shot of the character who opens the bag, revealing the sweets! Using a low angle shot to capture the character's happiness, the film ends with a quick cut to black. There is a total of only 18 shots throughout the film's duration.

How did you use the Continuity System?

There are multiple types of continuity shots, all along the 180' angle so as not to confuse the audience. The first that appears in the film is a shot-reverse shot during the face off, which creates tension and drama. Throughout the film there are also multiple match on action shots such as the opening of the bag, sitting down at the bench, and the moment when a character turns to reveal the other has disappeared. These are useful to keep the action going whilst keeping it tense and interesting for the audience. There is also an eye-line match shot towards the end, when the character in the suit opens the bag and we then see what he can see inside the bag. This shot is key to the film as it reveals the comedy aspect

How did you use Lighting and Sound?

We needed to ensure that the audience were laughing by the end of the film; to achieve this, we made the decision to set the first half in black and white with the conclusion quickly switching to colour to create contrast between the two tones. As the entire film was shot externally, we had no need for lighting equipment - the only thing we had to watch out for were the shadows of crew and tripods getting in shot which I believe we managed well.

We also made certain music choices to compliment the change of tone. Lacking the ability create our own music, we specifically searched for music with the keyword of 'tension' to fit the first half of the film. Eventually we came across 'Tension Growl' by Professor Kilq on Soundcloud which we agreed fitted nicely to generate the appropriate dark atmosphere. Additionally we had to find music for the ending, of which I already knew the perfect tune: Who Likes To Party, by royalty free artist Kevin Macleod. The upbeat and funny tune works in perfect contrast to the previous music, completely destroying the tense atmosphere, and making the audience want to dance instead!