Wednesday 4 May 2011
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Evaluation - Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
I found it quite interesting to use the various technologies in the construction process of my film. I found using the camera at times tricky to use, for example at times, I found that movement of the camera caused distortion, which meant the quality of the film was low and the filming needed to be repeated. I fixed this problem by using a tripod which meant that the camera would remain stationary and at a fixed height.
Above is an image of myself securing my camera to a tripod.
I also found it troublesome to film when it was bright, as the light reflected on the camera lens and made it impossible to achieve a visible image. I resolved this problem by blocking the majority of the light with paper or editing certain frames so that the brightness is correct.
Above is an image of me practicing a handheld shot while using my free hand to prevent light from a nearby projector from obscuring my recording.
Since the majority of the shots in my film did not involve movement, I did not use equipment such as the Dolly. I also avoided using the dolly because unless the Dolly is used on a flat surface, then the filming becomes jolty and the film will in general appear to be low quality.
I have learned a variety of skills on editing software in the production of my film. I have used the editing software to include various transitions into my piece and crop certain scenes so that no inappropriate material was shown. I used I-Movie to edit my film. I chose to use this program because I was used to it and therefore I would be able to use it to a better quality, however, I movie lacked the precision that certain other programs may contain. For example, programs such as Final Cut Express would have allowed me to create a much more precise and better quality film, however I feel that as I was not familiar to this program, I felt that it would’ve taken a greater amount of time to create my film due to the fact that I would have to familiarise myself with the program before I began editing. I also found that with certain frames, I could not achieve the exact precision I wanted due to the ability of the I-Movie program. For example, the montage at the end of my film was not as quick and snappy as I wanted it to be due to the fact that the software would not allow me to make the freeze-frames any shorter. If I was going to recreate my film, I would probably consider using Final Cut Express as it will allow me to achieve a much more professional level off work. I found it useful that you could adapt certain frames so that they held a certain effect. For example, in my film I used the “x-ray” effect during my montage at the end of my film’s opening to create a supernatural feel.
I found it useful to log all of my work, as it allowed me to categorise my work which meant I could easily find the needed information to create my film.
This is me adjusting my camera so that it is parallel to the ground, meaning that I can film a standard shot effectively.
I also found it troublesome to film when it was bright, as the light reflected on the camera lens and made it impossible to achieve a visible image. I resolved this problem by blocking the majority of the light with paper or editing certain frames so that the brightness is correct.
Since the majority of the shots in my film did not involve movement, I did not use equipment such as the Dolly. I also avoided using the dolly because unless the Dolly is used on a flat surface, then the filming becomes jolty and the film will in general appear to be low quality.
I have learned a variety of skills on editing software in the production of my film. I have used the editing software to include various transitions into my piece and crop certain scenes so that no inappropriate material was shown. I used I-Movie to edit my film. I chose to use this program because I was used to it and therefore I would be able to use it to a better quality, however, I movie lacked the precision that certain other programs may contain. For example, programs such as Final Cut Express would have allowed me to create a much more precise and better quality film, however I feel that as I was not familiar to this program, I felt that it would’ve taken a greater amount of time to create my film due to the fact that I would have to familiarise myself with the program before I began editing. I also found that with certain frames, I could not achieve the exact precision I wanted due to the ability of the I-Movie program. For example, the montage at the end of my film was not as quick and snappy as I wanted it to be due to the fact that the software would not allow me to make the freeze-frames any shorter. If I was going to recreate my film, I would probably consider using Final Cut Express as it will allow me to achieve a much more professional level off work. I found it useful that you could adapt certain frames so that they held a certain effect. For example, in my film I used the “x-ray” effect during my montage at the end of my film’s opening to create a supernatural feel.
I found it useful to log all of my work, as it allowed me to categorise my work which meant I could easily find the needed information to create my film.
Evaluation - Q5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Below is a copy of the final cut version of my film, which I have annotated. Enjoy.
Evaluation - Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Who would my film target?
After researching into my chosen genre and comparing my own film to other films in my chosen genre, I decided that I would exhibit my film to a niche audience. Instead of trying to target a mainstream audience who may not understand or appreciate my movie, I would specifically target a niche audience.
How would I target my audience?
I would broadcast my film in an Art House and on the internet, as these places would be the best place to reach my intended audience. I plan to generate interest in my film through social network sites such as facebook and twitter, and I plan to create
my own website with I can use to broadcast my film. By using the internet as the main means of exhibiting my film, I think that this will encourage more people to hear about my film through word of mouth. Also, by using the internet, I can use Below the Line advertising (for example: viral websites) to save money.
Thinking of the existing market...
If my film was to be produced by a Hollywood Institution then my film will share a lot of similarities to already existing products. For example, my film, in terms of the feelings experienced by the audience, would be similar to that of well known horror films (e.g. The “Saw” films)
Thinking about conglomerations...
If I was looking to actually properly produce and distribute my film, I would look to join my Institution of “Hysteria Productions” with “Fox Searchlight”, as they specialise in British films and have a good reputation, being behind films such as “Slumdog Millionaire”, “The Fully Monty” and “127 Hours.” I have researched into existing Media institutions that specialise in British films to decide which institutions would back my own. Institutions such as Working Title or Fox Searchlight would be my best bets as those companies usually specialise in British films. Also, if my own company converges with a well known institution such as Fox Searchlight, I will be able to use features such as special effects and well known actors to make my film more successful and achieve a higher gross.
Deeper thought into my film...
My film’s main purpose is to educate audiences and indirectly advise them about isolating people as they can become unstable like my main character does throughout the film. My film is made to generally entertain the audiences, however there will be an underline moral which should encourage people to think about what they may do to others. I plan to release a novel version of my film alongside the release of the film so that people who enjoy the film may want to read the novel to gain a deeper insight into the characters and storyline and avid readers who read my novel will be encouraged to see the film. This is similar to what was done with the Davinci code (2006) or the Harry Potter films, in which both novels and films were released. By releasing a film and novel, this should potentially heighten the interest and should generate a greater gross.
Thinking about distribution...
I plan to distribute my film on websites such as Amazon, and I plan to make my film downloadable on Itunes and other such sites, as this will encourage the teenagers and young adults to download my films, as I will be targeting them on the market which they use most.
After researching into my chosen genre and comparing my own film to other films in my chosen genre, I decided that I would exhibit my film to a niche audience. Instead of trying to target a mainstream audience who may not understand or appreciate my movie, I would specifically target a niche audience.
I would broadcast my film in an Art House and on the internet, as these places would be the best place to reach my intended audience. I plan to generate interest in my film through social network sites such as facebook and twitter, and I plan to create
my own website with I can use to broadcast my film. By using the internet as the main means of exhibiting my film, I think that this will encourage more people to hear about my film through word of mouth. Also, by using the internet, I can use Below the Line advertising (for example: viral websites) to save money.
Thinking of the existing market...
Thinking about conglomerations...
If I was looking to actually properly produce and distribute my film, I would look to join my Institution of “Hysteria Productions” with “Fox Searchlight”, as they specialise in British films and have a good reputation, being behind films such as “Slumdog Millionaire”, “The Fully Monty” and “127 Hours.” I have researched into existing Media institutions that specialise in British films to decide which institutions would back my own. Institutions such as Working Title or Fox Searchlight would be my best bets as those companies usually specialise in British films. Also, if my own company converges with a well known institution such as Fox Searchlight, I will be able to use features such as special effects and well known actors to make my film more successful and achieve a higher gross.
Deeper thought into my film...
Thinking about distribution...
Monday 2 May 2011
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Monday 18 April 2011
My 2nd Rough Cut
Below is the second rough cut of my film, which I have also shown to a similar audience as my first rough draft. I have also shown my 2nd rough draft to some of the people I showed my first draft to so that they can compare and offer me feedback, saying what the like about what i have improved and what still need to be adapted.
I exhibited my film to people in my early target audience (aged 15-16.) They replied positively to my film, saying that they liked the use of music, my film left them on edge and that it left them wanting to know more. My audience were left asking questions like, "has he killed somebody?" and "what were the two girl's purposes?" I was also told that my own film was similar to the film "Shutter Island", which I thought was a good thing as if this is a film that some of the audience have seen and enjoyed then my film would attract them too. I was however told that they didn't understand the pictures of the girl appeared at the beginning of my film. I feel that this is not too much of a problem as my film's opening only serves to set up the film and the rest of the film will elabourate on what is seen in the film.
I also exhibited my film to older teenagers (aged 17-19.) They also gave me possitive fedback, saying that the contrast of colours is good and that the montage used at the end of my film was very effective. They said that the typing at the end of my film didn't work, ohowever I only included this to show that I planned to proceed with the rest of my film. Also, my audience said that the static sound effects did not work. I plan to use the sound of a camera going off to create more of a stalker-ish feel. I was also told to get rid of the "based on a true story" title, as it didn't work. I was also told that I should edit the font of my titles so that they are more ledgible.
I exhibited my film to people in my early target audience (aged 15-16.) They replied positively to my film, saying that they liked the use of music, my film left them on edge and that it left them wanting to know more. My audience were left asking questions like, "has he killed somebody?" and "what were the two girl's purposes?" I was also told that my own film was similar to the film "Shutter Island", which I thought was a good thing as if this is a film that some of the audience have seen and enjoyed then my film would attract them too. I was however told that they didn't understand the pictures of the girl appeared at the beginning of my film. I feel that this is not too much of a problem as my film's opening only serves to set up the film and the rest of the film will elabourate on what is seen in the film.
I also exhibited my film to older teenagers (aged 17-19.) They also gave me possitive fedback, saying that the contrast of colours is good and that the montage used at the end of my film was very effective. They said that the typing at the end of my film didn't work, ohowever I only included this to show that I planned to proceed with the rest of my film. Also, my audience said that the static sound effects did not work. I plan to use the sound of a camera going off to create more of a stalker-ish feel. I was also told to get rid of the "based on a true story" title, as it didn't work. I was also told that I should edit the font of my titles so that they are more ledgible.
My Rough Cut
This is a rough cut of my film. I did a preview of my film to a variety of people from different backgrounds and ages so that I could see how people found my film, if they understood it and how I could make improvements.
Targeted audience feedback:
I have exhibited my film to people aged 15 to 25 in order to see how my targeted audience react to my film. I hoped that by doing this, I could get a rough idea if my film would be something they were interesting in and how I could adapt my film so that my targeted audience found my film more appealing. I was told that my film contains a lot of content in the opening, however, it is not too clear of what the entire film is going to be about.
Feedback from my peers:
I exhibited my film opening to some of my peers as they would be creating their own films and therefore they would know what techniques should be apparent in a Thriller film and could help me by giving critical feedback. This would be different feedback from what I recieved from my audience, as the audience would be watching the film from a different perspective as my peers who would be watchng it from a film maker's perspective. I was told that the purpose of the character shown at the end it not that clear. This was intentional, as the question the character types before this character's appearance is "what is my purpose?" which gives the impression that the character shown in the following montage will provide the answer to this question. Also, I was told that the static used in the opening scene of my film's opening was too frequent and that I should remove the 2nd and 4th static effects so that my film flows better. I plan to adjust the number of static effects used in my opening so that the effect is not over used. I also plan to add a frame of the male prtagonist looking out the window and spoting the character "Raven", as this would show the audience that there is (or is going to be) some interaction between the two characters within the film's narrative. I was also told that tense music should be used nin the knife scene should be used, however, I feel that adding maybe a voiceover of someone laughing would be a lot more sinister and unexpected. I was also told that my film's opening was very slow and needs to be more action based. I plan to use sound to create the tension and set a dark mood, while the visual aspect will serve only as a flashback of the male protagonist. I was also told that certain sections in my film's opening needs to be cropped so that the framing is a lot better.
Feedback from adults:
I asked a variety of adults from various age ranges so that I could see how my film would be taken by people outside my targeted audience range. I asked adults with different professions (teachers, cleaners, unemployed, etc...) so that I could get a rough idea of how people from different social statuses react to my film. I was told that the fonts used in the film's title didn't work as this was not generic in films. I was initially going for a "Se7en" effect with the titles, however it did not work in my film as the background was a black screen as a pose to a man typing on the computer.
Targeted audience feedback:
I have exhibited my film to people aged 15 to 25 in order to see how my targeted audience react to my film. I hoped that by doing this, I could get a rough idea if my film would be something they were interesting in and how I could adapt my film so that my targeted audience found my film more appealing. I was told that my film contains a lot of content in the opening, however, it is not too clear of what the entire film is going to be about.
Feedback from my peers:
I exhibited my film opening to some of my peers as they would be creating their own films and therefore they would know what techniques should be apparent in a Thriller film and could help me by giving critical feedback. This would be different feedback from what I recieved from my audience, as the audience would be watching the film from a different perspective as my peers who would be watchng it from a film maker's perspective. I was told that the purpose of the character shown at the end it not that clear. This was intentional, as the question the character types before this character's appearance is "what is my purpose?" which gives the impression that the character shown in the following montage will provide the answer to this question. Also, I was told that the static used in the opening scene of my film's opening was too frequent and that I should remove the 2nd and 4th static effects so that my film flows better. I plan to adjust the number of static effects used in my opening so that the effect is not over used. I also plan to add a frame of the male prtagonist looking out the window and spoting the character "Raven", as this would show the audience that there is (or is going to be) some interaction between the two characters within the film's narrative. I was also told that tense music should be used nin the knife scene should be used, however, I feel that adding maybe a voiceover of someone laughing would be a lot more sinister and unexpected. I was also told that my film's opening was very slow and needs to be more action based. I plan to use sound to create the tension and set a dark mood, while the visual aspect will serve only as a flashback of the male protagonist. I was also told that certain sections in my film's opening needs to be cropped so that the framing is a lot better.
Feedback from adults:
I asked a variety of adults from various age ranges so that I could see how my film would be taken by people outside my targeted audience range. I asked adults with different professions (teachers, cleaners, unemployed, etc...) so that I could get a rough idea of how people from different social statuses react to my film. I was told that the fonts used in the film's title didn't work as this was not generic in films. I was initially going for a "Se7en" effect with the titles, however it did not work in my film as the background was a black screen as a pose to a man typing on the computer.
Sunday 17 April 2011
Saturday 16 April 2011
Considering Props - Fake Blood
Below are a series of videos in which I am talking through my creation of fake blood. This is a prop I plan to use for my piece.
Friday 15 April 2011
Considering Health and Safety
In order to make sure that my actors, my equipment and myself are safe, I plan to take certain precautions. For example, I plan to avoid filming in any locations which can be dangerous. The only exterior areas in which I plan to film in is a park, which is public and safe. The rest of the places in which I plan to film in are interior shots and therefore, all of my actors and equipment will be safe. Also, I plan to use as few wires as possible to make sure that none of my actors (or myself) do not stumble on the wires and injure themselves. As I will be using fake blood which is obviously wet, I will make sure that I do not cover the floors with the fake blood which will make the area hazardous. I wll immediately clean up the fake blood so make sure that members of the public do not slip on the liquid. Also, as I will be including a gun replica in my film, I plan to make sure that no members of the public see the gun which could lead to police involvement. I will also make sure that the actors costumes do not cause irritation or discomfort, and that my actors have free movement and can breathe comfortably. I will also make sure that the actor's costumes are clean to avoid any bacteria getting onto the actors and causing them to become ill.
Thursday 14 April 2011
Considering Sound
For my film, I am going to require background sound in order to create suspense and a dark atmosphere, as well as a soundtrack that will make my film seem more original and again add to the dark nature of the piece. Below is a list of the sounds I will need along with a couple of potential sounds I have already found.
Soundtrack
I am looking for a soundtrack that will really create an uncomfortable atmosphere. I want a soundtrack that will create a stalker-ish feel and will make the film seem as though “something is not as it seems.” I think that the soundtrack should either be base around the “rock” genre to create a rebellious mood, or from the “classical” genre, to create quite a tranquil peaceful feel which can juxtapose the events happening on the screen and the harsh sound effects. I was looking for something (if I went down the classical route) that will use a piano as the main instrument, as I feel that music played on the piano is usually the most emotive.
Bump in the Night – This creates the ominous spooky feel I was initially looking for. I think that this would go quite well in my piece as it matches the mood. The increase in sound levels at points in the soundtrack create suspense, which adds to the horror aspect of my film
Darkness is Coming – This, like the above creates the ominous spooky feel, and the childlike voices that run throughout create an eerie horror feel. T do however feel that this track is too slow and therefore I will not consider using it.
Enter the Maze – This soundtrack will give the film opening an energetic feel, yet still creates suspense. I will consider using this soundtrack for my film as I like the way it sounds and think that it may work well in my piece.
Ghostpocalypse (7 Master) – This soundtrack is very energetic and upbeat and will grip the audience, however, I feel that the soundtrack is not rightly suited for my film and therefore I will not use it for my film.
Rising – This soundtrack is quite emotive as a pose to being eerie or ominous, yet I think that this may fit well in my performance and therefore I will consider it for use in my film.
Scissors – This soundtrack is quite eerie and creates suspense at times, which could be effective for my film. I am not as keen on it as I am for some of the others, however I will consider using it during the opening of my film.
Below are a few of the tracks mentioned above. The ones I have chosen to consider using for my piece are green while the ones I have rejected have been highlighted red.
As stated earlier, I will be looking for background sound which enhances the suspenseful aspect of my film yet can blend subtly with the soundtrack that may be playing at the time. For this, I will be looking for low key notes or notes that gradually build in pitch or key to connote a build in suspense. As the sound effects will play simultaneously to the soundtrack, I will not use any background sounds that sound too different to the soundtrack, or any sounds that sound too similar to the soundtrack.
Aftermath – This background sound creates the idea that something shady has just happened and really creates an eerie feel. I will probably use this during the opening scene of my film to stress that fact that the main protagonist has done wrong.
Anxiety – I like the sound of this, however I think that together it does not work. I would however like to take this piece apart and place little sections of it into my film opening to build tension, as I think that this would be effective.
Deep noise – I like this because the build and fall in the sound creates suspense and, because you can’t indentify the sound, I think that this would create mystery and build suspense for the audience.
Inner Sanctum – I like this because there are constant builds and falls in the volume which creates suspense and gives false action codes to the audience. However, I will not use this as I think it would clash with the sound of the soundtrack in the film’s opening.
Night Break – I do like the sound of this as I think it creates an eerie feel throughout. I would definitely like to use the opening ten or so seconds of this as I think that placing that short section of sound in my film opening could be effective.
Right Behind You – I’m quite keen on the sound of this piece, however, I would like to break this piece of sound up into sections and use it randomly throughout my film opening to create an eerie feel. I think that the constant builds in sound really does make it feel as though something is behind you and this would be quite effective on the audience.
The Dread – I am not keen on this piece as I feel that it doesn’t sound as intriguing as some of the other sound effects. I do not plan to use this sound in my film opening.
Very Low Note – I think that this sound can function as a base sound for practically any other sound which I may use in addition to this. The constant drone creates an eerie feel which is what I was looking for.
NOTE: Unfortuneately, I coulod not find a source of these sound which I could upload to my blog, however, the source of these sounds was www.imcompetech.com.
I will be looking for Foley sound effects that can be used to show diegetic events going on in the film. These sounds are crucial to the film and therefore I will try to find a place to obtain them. The only required sound I will need is that of gunfire. I will need to obtain the sound of a single bullet being fired from a pistol, as this would help to show the audience what the character is doing in the film’s opening. Below are a few different gun sound effects. I plan to deliberate on which sounds the best and use on of these sounds.
44 Magnum
357 Magnum
Gun Reload
Soundtrack
I am looking for a soundtrack that will really create an uncomfortable atmosphere. I want a soundtrack that will create a stalker-ish feel and will make the film seem as though “something is not as it seems.” I think that the soundtrack should either be base around the “rock” genre to create a rebellious mood, or from the “classical” genre, to create quite a tranquil peaceful feel which can juxtapose the events happening on the screen and the harsh sound effects. I was looking for something (if I went down the classical route) that will use a piano as the main instrument, as I feel that music played on the piano is usually the most emotive.
Bump in the Night – This creates the ominous spooky feel I was initially looking for. I think that this would go quite well in my piece as it matches the mood. The increase in sound levels at points in the soundtrack create suspense, which adds to the horror aspect of my film
Enter the Maze – This soundtrack will give the film opening an energetic feel, yet still creates suspense. I will consider using this soundtrack for my film as I like the way it sounds and think that it may work well in my piece.
Ghostpocalypse (7 Master) – This soundtrack is very energetic and upbeat and will grip the audience, however, I feel that the soundtrack is not rightly suited for my film and therefore I will not use it for my film.
Rising – This soundtrack is quite emotive as a pose to being eerie or ominous, yet I think that this may fit well in my performance and therefore I will consider it for use in my film.
Below are a few of the tracks mentioned above. The ones I have chosen to consider using for my piece are green while the ones I have rejected have been highlighted red.
As stated earlier, I will be looking for background sound which enhances the suspenseful aspect of my film yet can blend subtly with the soundtrack that may be playing at the time. For this, I will be looking for low key notes or notes that gradually build in pitch or key to connote a build in suspense. As the sound effects will play simultaneously to the soundtrack, I will not use any background sounds that sound too different to the soundtrack, or any sounds that sound too similar to the soundtrack.
Aftermath – This background sound creates the idea that something shady has just happened and really creates an eerie feel. I will probably use this during the opening scene of my film to stress that fact that the main protagonist has done wrong.
Anxiety – I like the sound of this, however I think that together it does not work. I would however like to take this piece apart and place little sections of it into my film opening to build tension, as I think that this would be effective.
Deep noise – I like this because the build and fall in the sound creates suspense and, because you can’t indentify the sound, I think that this would create mystery and build suspense for the audience.
Night Break – I do like the sound of this as I think it creates an eerie feel throughout. I would definitely like to use the opening ten or so seconds of this as I think that placing that short section of sound in my film opening could be effective.
Right Behind You – I’m quite keen on the sound of this piece, however, I would like to break this piece of sound up into sections and use it randomly throughout my film opening to create an eerie feel. I think that the constant builds in sound really does make it feel as though something is behind you and this would be quite effective on the audience.
Very Low Note – I think that this sound can function as a base sound for practically any other sound which I may use in addition to this. The constant drone creates an eerie feel which is what I was looking for.
NOTE: Unfortuneately, I coulod not find a source of these sound which I could upload to my blog, however, the source of these sounds was www.imcompetech.com.
I will be looking for Foley sound effects that can be used to show diegetic events going on in the film. These sounds are crucial to the film and therefore I will try to find a place to obtain them. The only required sound I will need is that of gunfire. I will need to obtain the sound of a single bullet being fired from a pistol, as this would help to show the audience what the character is doing in the film’s opening. Below are a few different gun sound effects. I plan to deliberate on which sounds the best and use on of these sounds.
44 Magnum
357 Magnum
Gun Reload
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Considering Filming Locations
Below is a video in which I am discussing a variety of filming locations I plan to use along with my justification.
Monday 28 March 2011
Notes on my titles
Below are notes on my titles.
Notes on my Titles
I have decided to use the "Lone Raven Pictures" logo and the "Hysteria" logo, as they are my favourite logos and they match the mood of my piece. Also, I showed my four logos to 20 unbiased members of my targeted audience, and their choices were the same (on average) as mine. I believe that my logos will be better suited for an independant film (which my film is) and will be original and memorable enough so that any audience members who see my film will recognise my logo and will be influenced to watch my film.
My Lone Raven Pictures Logo
My Hysteria Productions Logo
Notes on my Titles
I have decided to use the "Lone Raven Pictures" logo and the "Hysteria" logo, as they are my favourite logos and they match the mood of my piece. Also, I showed my four logos to 20 unbiased members of my targeted audience, and their choices were the same (on average) as mine. I believe that my logos will be better suited for an independant film (which my film is) and will be original and memorable enough so that any audience members who see my film will recognise my logo and will be influenced to watch my film.
My Lone Raven Pictures Logo
My Hysteria Productions Logo
My Analysis of film titles
My Analysis of film titles
My Analysis of Film Titles (Times and Durations Etc...)
The opening to Resevoir:
The opening to Se7en:
My Analysis of Film Titles (Times and Durations Etc...)
The opening to Resevoir:
The opening to Se7en:
Sunday 27 March 2011
Consent Forms
After deciding on my cast, I handed out consent forms to my actors to sign whcih would mean that they gave their permission to be filmed. By me handing out consent forms, it means I can be sure that my actors give me permission to film then and I can be sure of who I am filming.
Saturday 26 March 2011
My Film Schedule
Below is a film schedule I created for my actors so that they knew when they would be needed for filming. On the film schedule, I have highlighted the location I film be filming in, the time of which I will be filming in, and the actors I will require.
Film Schedule 2
I have decided to use a film schedule so that I can handle all of my filming by a set time to give myself time in case I need to refilm certain sections of my film. Also, by creating the film schedule, my actors will know where to go and at what time so that I can save as much time as possible.
Film Schedule 2
I have decided to use a film schedule so that I can handle all of my filming by a set time to give myself time in case I need to refilm certain sections of my film. Also, by creating the film schedule, my actors will know where to go and at what time so that I can save as much time as possible.
Friday 18 March 2011
My Final Decision on Cast
After careful deliberation, I have decided on my cast. I plan to tell my cast they have been successful as soon as possible. Below, are short extracts from the successful candidates and why I have chosen them:
Jovelle (Teen)
I have decided to use myself for this role. I have chosen to film myself because I have drawn a lot of the character’s traits from my own persona and therefore I feel that I will be best suited to portray the character. Also, as I will know what I want the character to do in each scene, it will be easier to direct myself to do what I am looking for than someone else. As I will be filing myself, I will either be using a tripod to film and edit most of the clips, or I will need to hire someone who can film me for more complex scenes.
Krystal (Teen)
I have decided to use Louise Chick to play this character. I have chosen her because her personality matches that of the character and I think that out of all the auditioned actresses, she would relate to the character easier than the other actresses. Her acting ability is high and she can use the base idea of the character and put her open pin on the role, which is what I am looking for in my actors. I also think that she is easy to direct and fun to work with, which will make the filming stage of my film more bearable.
Father
I have decided to scrap this character as I don’t think that this character is a need. I think that it’ll be a lot better to stick to the main character as the film’s narrative focuses in the character’s growth. As this character is made reference to in the opening but if not a necessity, I will not use him.
Raven
I have decided to use Devon Dalton. I have chosen her because her appearance it the closest to the character out of all of the auditioned actresses. She is also the closest fit to my initial Character Profile and has a good understanding of the role. I will need to specifically style her make up before filming her so that she fits the Gothic role, and I will need to find a costume that fits her body shape.
Jovelle (Teen)
I have decided to use myself for this role. I have chosen to film myself because I have drawn a lot of the character’s traits from my own persona and therefore I feel that I will be best suited to portray the character. Also, as I will know what I want the character to do in each scene, it will be easier to direct myself to do what I am looking for than someone else. As I will be filing myself, I will either be using a tripod to film and edit most of the clips, or I will need to hire someone who can film me for more complex scenes.
Krystal (Teen)
I have decided to use Louise Chick to play this character. I have chosen her because her personality matches that of the character and I think that out of all the auditioned actresses, she would relate to the character easier than the other actresses. Her acting ability is high and she can use the base idea of the character and put her open pin on the role, which is what I am looking for in my actors. I also think that she is easy to direct and fun to work with, which will make the filming stage of my film more bearable.
Father
I have decided to scrap this character as I don’t think that this character is a need. I think that it’ll be a lot better to stick to the main character as the film’s narrative focuses in the character’s growth. As this character is made reference to in the opening but if not a necessity, I will not use him.
Raven
I have decided to use Devon Dalton. I have chosen her because her appearance it the closest to the character out of all of the auditioned actresses. She is also the closest fit to my initial Character Profile and has a good understanding of the role. I will need to specifically style her make up before filming her so that she fits the Gothic role, and I will need to find a costume that fits her body shape.
My Auditions
Below are a series of films in which I am auditioning a vartiety of people for various roles. Enjoy.
Important!!!
I have decided to change my protagonist back to a male, as I found this to be a lot less confusing when it is explained to others. I found the standard hetrosexual relationship to be easier to explain and to potray than the female homosexual relationship, which is why I have changed my idea back.
Thursday 10 March 2011
Casting…
In order to effectively cast each character, I plan to hold auditions which would help me to see if the actor is suitable for the role. I have designed a few short monologues which will arise at sometime during the film. These monologues should help me to see if the actor can in fact act, and if they can correctly portray the character. As there are only three characters in the film’s opening who may have any lines, I have only written monologues for these three characters.
Jovelle (Adult)
For 20 years I… (Trails off) I had the same dream... (Long pause) I was staring into a mirror… and in front of me I saw this (pause)… man… this scrawny aged face, splattered with blood. He looked pathetic, desperate, miserable, but… (Long pause) at the same time… I felt his pain… I understood the troubles he had endured. I reached out to him and… he reaches out to me. Our hands meet on the glass and… he opens his mouth as if to speak and I do the same. (Losing his temper) I quickly drag me hand away and he does the same! I curse him for mimicking me, addressing him with every foul utterance that I manage to squeeze from my lips. Like verbal bullets, I unleash a bombardment of obscenities his way, yet still the bastard continues to imitate me, word for word, gesture for gesture! (Pause) Then, as the “Coup de Grace”, my trademark crooked smile appears on his contorted face.
For 20 years, I tried desperately to make sense of the dream. I read every book, every leaflet, spoke to every teacher, every doctor… (Long Pause) They all said I was stressed or some shit like that, and I never listened to them. I just went on with my life… so naïve… so stupid… never stopping to realise what was so obvious, so insanely obvious. (Long Pause) It was my face in the mirror… my aged face… my face covered with blood… It all makes sense now…
Jovelle (Teen)
(Optimistically) I… love you. (Long Pause) I think you’re amazing. I think you’re wonderful. I love the way you wear your hair, I love that cute little pouty thing you do when someone’s taking a picture of you. I love your cute little walk. The way your hips sway from side to side with every step. I love how headstrong you are, how smart you are. You’re not like other girls… you have ambition, you have drive. You inspire me to be a better person. (Long Pause) I love the fragrance you wear. Sometimes I deliberately walk past you just to catch your scent. What I’m trying to say is… I love you… I love everything about you… I fantasize about you… (Pause) One time you… you left the room and I… (Pause) I took one of your pens. You know… that pink one? It had a fuzzy tip and googly eyes… I don’t know why I did it… I suppose… I just… wanted to have something of yours with me, a piece of you with me… (Long Pause) because I can’t have you… and I want you… (Angrily) So why don’t you want me!?
(With increasing rage) I… hate you… I despise you… You’re an evil bitch! How dare you be so beautiful? How dare you make me fall in love with you? What gives you the right to break my heart in two? What gives you the right to make me feel shit about myself? You know what I did yesterday because of you? (Long Pause) I took a razor blade… and I cut myself… twice along my forearm. And I apologised. I apologised for loving you. I apologised for not being there for you. There to provide for you, appreciate you, compliment you, care for you, make love to you… (Pause) die for you… (Long Pause) Look… (Reveals bandaged arm) I blame you… this is your doing! This is your fault! You made me do this… (Long Pause) And you know what? (Pause) I’d gladly do it again for you! I’d gladly bleed for you if it made you notice me… if it made you acknowledge me… if it made you love me…
(Pleading) Love me… just… love me… (Completely enraged) Goddamn it, just love me!
Raven
I’ve got a question for you… and try to answer truthfully. (Pause) What is your purpose? Why do you get up each morning, force yourself through day after day of pain and suffering? (Long Pause) Let me guess. (Mockingly) You’re doing it for your friends? (Long Pause) No? (In sudden realisation) Ah… for “love”… a pathetic insipid emotion. It’s just a weakness, all too easy to exploit by your enemies. Let me give you a little piece of advice. Forget about love. Forget that “warm fuzzy feeling” you get whenever you see her walk by. It’ll bring you nothing but pain. You will suffer, you will kill, and you will die. That. I can promise you.
Krystal
Krystal: Jay!? Is that you?
Jovelle: (Smirks) Found you…
Jovelle draws a gun and aims it at Krystal. She begins to panic initially at the sight of the gun, but quickly subdues her fear.
Krystal: (Nervously) Please, give me a chance to explain…
Jovelle: Explain!? There’s no explanation for what you did… You betrayed me… you made a fool out of me!
Krystal: I made a mistake! Please… I love you… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…
Jovelle: And I loved you… (Slight pause) loved you…
Krystal: No… don’t say that… (Pause) Look, we can start again, please! Just… forgive me…
Jovelle: (repeating Krystal’s words) Forgive you…
Krystal: (quickly) Yes! We can make it work. Just… put the gun down. (Pause) Put the gun down…
Jovelle: (long pause) I’ve heard enough…
Takes aim with the gun.
Krystal: (pleading) No please, no…
Jovelle: (angrily) Enough!
Krystal: (loudly) No don’t!
Jovelle: (angrily) Just die!
Jovelle pulls the trigger, shooting Krystal in the stomach. She stares at Jovelle in shock, leading him onto shoot her again. She falls to the ground, gasping for breath. She feebly reaches up towards Jovelle and stares at him. He is now weighted down with guilt and anger.
Krystal: (Weakly) J… Jay…
Jovelle: (angrily) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger)Just fucking die!!!
This is the general routine I plan to follow when I audition my actors. If there is any other specific questions I need to ask the actor then they will be included.
1. Ask name, age
2. Ask about themselves (e.g. )
3. Ask why they enjoy acting
4. Explain to the actor/actress what the “film” is about, tell them they will be needed for the film’s opening, etc…
5. Ask to read the script I feel they will be suited for
6. Ask about own personal experiences (similar to the character)
7. Ask how they feel about the character after reading the script
8. Ask if they have any questions
9. If I feel they are suited for another role, then return to step 5
10. Thank them for their time and tell them you’ll let them know if they’re successful A.S.A.P
NOTE: I CREATED SEPERATE AUDITION SCRIPTS TO MY FINAL FILM SCRIPT.
I have done this because I took sections from my films entire narrative and created audition scripts from them which will allow me to see if the actor is completely suitable for the character. As I was considering the actor for the entire film and not just for the film's opening, I thought that it would be better to use scripts which will truely test the actor. Also, as there are few lines in my film's opening, I thought that it would be difficult to create audition scripts based on the film opening.
Jovelle (Adult)
For 20 years I… (Trails off) I had the same dream... (Long pause) I was staring into a mirror… and in front of me I saw this (pause)… man… this scrawny aged face, splattered with blood. He looked pathetic, desperate, miserable, but… (Long pause) at the same time… I felt his pain… I understood the troubles he had endured. I reached out to him and… he reaches out to me. Our hands meet on the glass and… he opens his mouth as if to speak and I do the same. (Losing his temper) I quickly drag me hand away and he does the same! I curse him for mimicking me, addressing him with every foul utterance that I manage to squeeze from my lips. Like verbal bullets, I unleash a bombardment of obscenities his way, yet still the bastard continues to imitate me, word for word, gesture for gesture! (Pause) Then, as the “Coup de Grace”, my trademark crooked smile appears on his contorted face.
For 20 years, I tried desperately to make sense of the dream. I read every book, every leaflet, spoke to every teacher, every doctor… (Long Pause) They all said I was stressed or some shit like that, and I never listened to them. I just went on with my life… so naïve… so stupid… never stopping to realise what was so obvious, so insanely obvious. (Long Pause) It was my face in the mirror… my aged face… my face covered with blood… It all makes sense now…
Jovelle (Teen)
(Optimistically) I… love you. (Long Pause) I think you’re amazing. I think you’re wonderful. I love the way you wear your hair, I love that cute little pouty thing you do when someone’s taking a picture of you. I love your cute little walk. The way your hips sway from side to side with every step. I love how headstrong you are, how smart you are. You’re not like other girls… you have ambition, you have drive. You inspire me to be a better person. (Long Pause) I love the fragrance you wear. Sometimes I deliberately walk past you just to catch your scent. What I’m trying to say is… I love you… I love everything about you… I fantasize about you… (Pause) One time you… you left the room and I… (Pause) I took one of your pens. You know… that pink one? It had a fuzzy tip and googly eyes… I don’t know why I did it… I suppose… I just… wanted to have something of yours with me, a piece of you with me… (Long Pause) because I can’t have you… and I want you… (Angrily) So why don’t you want me!?
(With increasing rage) I… hate you… I despise you… You’re an evil bitch! How dare you be so beautiful? How dare you make me fall in love with you? What gives you the right to break my heart in two? What gives you the right to make me feel shit about myself? You know what I did yesterday because of you? (Long Pause) I took a razor blade… and I cut myself… twice along my forearm. And I apologised. I apologised for loving you. I apologised for not being there for you. There to provide for you, appreciate you, compliment you, care for you, make love to you… (Pause) die for you… (Long Pause) Look… (Reveals bandaged arm) I blame you… this is your doing! This is your fault! You made me do this… (Long Pause) And you know what? (Pause) I’d gladly do it again for you! I’d gladly bleed for you if it made you notice me… if it made you acknowledge me… if it made you love me…
(Pleading) Love me… just… love me… (Completely enraged) Goddamn it, just love me!
Raven
I’ve got a question for you… and try to answer truthfully. (Pause) What is your purpose? Why do you get up each morning, force yourself through day after day of pain and suffering? (Long Pause) Let me guess. (Mockingly) You’re doing it for your friends? (Long Pause) No? (In sudden realisation) Ah… for “love”… a pathetic insipid emotion. It’s just a weakness, all too easy to exploit by your enemies. Let me give you a little piece of advice. Forget about love. Forget that “warm fuzzy feeling” you get whenever you see her walk by. It’ll bring you nothing but pain. You will suffer, you will kill, and you will die. That. I can promise you.
Krystal
Krystal: Jay!? Is that you?
Jovelle: (Smirks) Found you…
Jovelle draws a gun and aims it at Krystal. She begins to panic initially at the sight of the gun, but quickly subdues her fear.
Krystal: (Nervously) Please, give me a chance to explain…
Jovelle: Explain!? There’s no explanation for what you did… You betrayed me… you made a fool out of me!
Krystal: I made a mistake! Please… I love you… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…
Jovelle: And I loved you… (Slight pause) loved you…
Krystal: No… don’t say that… (Pause) Look, we can start again, please! Just… forgive me…
Jovelle: (repeating Krystal’s words) Forgive you…
Krystal: (quickly) Yes! We can make it work. Just… put the gun down. (Pause) Put the gun down…
Jovelle: (long pause) I’ve heard enough…
Takes aim with the gun.
Krystal: (pleading) No please, no…
Jovelle: (angrily) Enough!
Krystal: (loudly) No don’t!
Jovelle: (angrily) Just die!
Jovelle pulls the trigger, shooting Krystal in the stomach. She stares at Jovelle in shock, leading him onto shoot her again. She falls to the ground, gasping for breath. She feebly reaches up towards Jovelle and stares at him. He is now weighted down with guilt and anger.
Krystal: (Weakly) J… Jay…
Jovelle: (angrily) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger) Die! (Pulls the trigger)Just fucking die!!!
This is the general routine I plan to follow when I audition my actors. If there is any other specific questions I need to ask the actor then they will be included.
1. Ask name, age
2. Ask about themselves (e.g. )
3. Ask why they enjoy acting
4. Explain to the actor/actress what the “film” is about, tell them they will be needed for the film’s opening, etc…
5. Ask to read the script I feel they will be suited for
6. Ask about own personal experiences (similar to the character)
7. Ask how they feel about the character after reading the script
8. Ask if they have any questions
9. If I feel they are suited for another role, then return to step 5
10. Thank them for their time and tell them you’ll let them know if they’re successful A.S.A.P
NOTE: I CREATED SEPERATE AUDITION SCRIPTS TO MY FINAL FILM SCRIPT.
I have done this because I took sections from my films entire narrative and created audition scripts from them which will allow me to see if the actor is completely suitable for the character. As I was considering the actor for the entire film and not just for the film's opening, I thought that it would be better to use scripts which will truely test the actor. Also, as there are few lines in my film's opening, I thought that it would be difficult to create audition scripts based on the film opening.
Friday 4 March 2011
Important!!!
I have recently been thinking about changing the gender of my protagonist “Jovelle” from male to female. I have thought that this would work just as well, as I can still have the character wearing the same type of clothing to make her seem tomboyish and make the relationship between her and Raven a lot more friendly. Also, I though that if I changed the love interest to a male, I can show the male’s aloofness and unawareness to Jovelle’s love. This could really be used to show why the character goes insane by the end. I also thought that I could keep the gender of the love interest female and portray Jovelle as a confused young female who believes she is in love with another female and as the story progresses, the love can grow and morph into obsession, ending in the same way. However, if I do take this path and portray Jovelle as homosexual, I will need to avoid offensive stereotypes and I would need to make sure that the overall story still makes sense.
I plan to complete a survey which will help me decide if I should keep the gender of my protagonist the same or whether I should change my protagonist’s gender. Also, I plan to audition male and female actors for the roles of Jovelle and the love interest, and from there, I will see if I prefer a male or female actor to portray that character.
I plan to complete a survey which will help me decide if I should keep the gender of my protagonist the same or whether I should change my protagonist’s gender. Also, I plan to audition male and female actors for the roles of Jovelle and the love interest, and from there, I will see if I prefer a male or female actor to portray that character.
Monday 28 February 2011
My Character Profiles
Thesde are a few rough character profiles I design. I will use these while directing my actors so that they play the character to the best of their ability.
Jovelle Anthony Williams:
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Nationality: British
Race: Afro-Carribean
Height: 160cm
Weight: 75kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Distinguishing Features: Scar over right eyebrow
Family: Christine Williams (Mother)
Keith Williams (Father)
Mia Williams (Sister) - Deceased
Personality: Dark, Serious
Hobbies: Writing, Video games, Reading, Individual Sports
Likes: Call of Duty, Twilight novels, reading, writing, badminton
Dislikes: Socialising, groups of people, bright rooms, her father
Favourite Word: Fantasy
Favourite sayings: “This place is depressing…”
“I’m bored…”
“Kill me… kill me now…”
“I hate you…”
Character description: Seemingly a normal college student, Jovelle actually suffers from Schizophrenia and he regularly experiences hallucinations which cause him to see people who don’t exist. The story revolves around Jovelle taking guidance from one of his hallucinations (Raven) and eventually ending up taking the life of his love interest.
Krystal Kimberly Holmes:
Age: 16 (and a half!)
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Race: Caucasian
Height: 156cm
Weight: 65kg
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blonde/Brown
Distinguishing Features: Tattoo on left shoulder
Family: Jonathan Holmes (Father)
Jillian Holmes (Mother)
Personality: Bubbly, Spontaneous, Warm
Hobbies: Video Games, Sports, Socialising, Shopping
Likes: Cartoons, Tennis, Acting, Blue!
Dislikes: Small spaces, lots of key rings
Favourite Word: Super!
Favourite sayings: “That’s absolutely super!”
“Brill”
“I dunno really…”
Character description: A beautiful young woman who is lusted after by many, including Jovelle. Being a long time friend of Jovelle due to living with Jovelle temporarily in a care home, both have a soft spot for each other. She is aware of Jovelle’s love for her but chooses to turn a blind eye due to her parents/friends views and their warnings on Jovelle being "unstable and dangerous".
“Raven”:
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Race: Caucasian, Chinese
Height: 172cm
Weight: 64kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black, Purple
Distinguishing Features: Style of clothing
Family: Unknown (presumed to be deceased)
Personality: Dark, Serious, Sardonic
Hobbies: “Doesn’t really have any…”
Likes: “Nothing really…”
Dislikes: “A lot of things…”
Favourite Word: Purpose
Favourite sayings: “What is your purpose?”
“Understand my words…”
“I hate my life…”
Character description: Being a physical apparition created by Jovelle’s inner turmoil, Raven knows Jovelle even better than she knows herself. Raven can only be seen by Jovelle and tends to appear when she is alone or isolated. Her twisted personality causes her to enjoy watching Jovelle’s suffering, and she capitalises on Jovelle’s crumbling mindset, causing her to murder her love interest.
Christine Williams
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Race: Afro-carribean
Height: 175cm
Weight: 64kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Distinguishing Features: Scars on left hand
Family: Jovelle Williams (Daughter)
Keith Williams (Husband)
Mia Williams (Daughter) - Deceased
Personality: Depressed, Suicidal, Withdrawn, Unstable
Hobbies: “Doesn’t really have any…”
Likes: “…”
Dislikes: Keith
Favourite Word: “…”
Favourite sayings: “…”
Character description: Having Jovelle at a young age, she in a sense lost part of her childhood and grew up stressed and miserable. Her misery grows when she bared a second child, which is stillborn. She was a victim of domestic violence throughout her married life and after her husband was jailed, fell into a deep depression and became reliant on anti-depression tablets.
Keith Williams
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Nationality: British
Race: Afro-carribean
Height: 187cm
Weight: 82kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Distinguishing Features: Receding hairline, Speech pattern
Family: Jovelle Williams (Daughter)
Christine Williams (Wife)
Mia Williams (Daughter) - Deceased
Personality: Aggressive,
Hobbies: “Doesn’t really have any…”
Likes: Money, Beer
Dislikes: Cowards, Traitors
Favourite Word: Justice
Favourite sayings: “You think you can take me?”
“Bring it…”
“Come get some…”
Character description: Being an ex-conman, Keith is obsessed with getting money. After going through many different forms of petty crime (e.g. mugging, selling drugs etc), he attempted an armed robbery, however one of his subordinates shot one of the hostages in a stand off and the group were sent to prison. Keith was given a 20 year sentence. Jovelle despises him due to his violent ways, and her earliest memories of him include him beating her and her mother.
Jovelle Anthony Williams:
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Nationality: British
Race: Afro-Carribean
Height: 160cm
Weight: 75kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Distinguishing Features: Scar over right eyebrow
Family: Christine Williams (Mother)
Keith Williams (Father)
Mia Williams (Sister) - Deceased
Personality: Dark, Serious
Hobbies: Writing, Video games, Reading, Individual Sports
Likes: Call of Duty, Twilight novels, reading, writing, badminton
Dislikes: Socialising, groups of people, bright rooms, her father
Favourite Word: Fantasy
Favourite sayings: “This place is depressing…”
“I’m bored…”
“Kill me… kill me now…”
“I hate you…”
Character description: Seemingly a normal college student, Jovelle actually suffers from Schizophrenia and he regularly experiences hallucinations which cause him to see people who don’t exist. The story revolves around Jovelle taking guidance from one of his hallucinations (Raven) and eventually ending up taking the life of his love interest.
Krystal Kimberly Holmes:
Age: 16 (and a half!)
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Race: Caucasian
Height: 156cm
Weight: 65kg
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blonde/Brown
Distinguishing Features: Tattoo on left shoulder
Family: Jonathan Holmes (Father)
Jillian Holmes (Mother)
Personality: Bubbly, Spontaneous, Warm
Hobbies: Video Games, Sports, Socialising, Shopping
Likes: Cartoons, Tennis, Acting, Blue!
Dislikes: Small spaces, lots of key rings
Favourite Word: Super!
Favourite sayings: “That’s absolutely super!”
“Brill”
“I dunno really…”
Character description: A beautiful young woman who is lusted after by many, including Jovelle. Being a long time friend of Jovelle due to living with Jovelle temporarily in a care home, both have a soft spot for each other. She is aware of Jovelle’s love for her but chooses to turn a blind eye due to her parents/friends views and their warnings on Jovelle being "unstable and dangerous".
“Raven”:
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Race: Caucasian, Chinese
Height: 172cm
Weight: 64kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black, Purple
Distinguishing Features: Style of clothing
Family: Unknown (presumed to be deceased)
Personality: Dark, Serious, Sardonic
Hobbies: “Doesn’t really have any…”
Likes: “Nothing really…”
Dislikes: “A lot of things…”
Favourite Word: Purpose
Favourite sayings: “What is your purpose?”
“Understand my words…”
“I hate my life…”
Character description: Being a physical apparition created by Jovelle’s inner turmoil, Raven knows Jovelle even better than she knows herself. Raven can only be seen by Jovelle and tends to appear when she is alone or isolated. Her twisted personality causes her to enjoy watching Jovelle’s suffering, and she capitalises on Jovelle’s crumbling mindset, causing her to murder her love interest.
Christine Williams
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Nationality: British
Race: Afro-carribean
Height: 175cm
Weight: 64kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Distinguishing Features: Scars on left hand
Family: Jovelle Williams (Daughter)
Keith Williams (Husband)
Mia Williams (Daughter) - Deceased
Personality: Depressed, Suicidal, Withdrawn, Unstable
Hobbies: “Doesn’t really have any…”
Likes: “…”
Dislikes: Keith
Favourite Word: “…”
Favourite sayings: “…”
Character description: Having Jovelle at a young age, she in a sense lost part of her childhood and grew up stressed and miserable. Her misery grows when she bared a second child, which is stillborn. She was a victim of domestic violence throughout her married life and after her husband was jailed, fell into a deep depression and became reliant on anti-depression tablets.
Keith Williams
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Nationality: British
Race: Afro-carribean
Height: 187cm
Weight: 82kg
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Distinguishing Features: Receding hairline, Speech pattern
Family: Jovelle Williams (Daughter)
Christine Williams (Wife)
Mia Williams (Daughter) - Deceased
Personality: Aggressive,
Hobbies: “Doesn’t really have any…”
Likes: Money, Beer
Dislikes: Cowards, Traitors
Favourite Word: Justice
Favourite sayings: “You think you can take me?”
“Bring it…”
“Come get some…”
Character description: Being an ex-conman, Keith is obsessed with getting money. After going through many different forms of petty crime (e.g. mugging, selling drugs etc), he attempted an armed robbery, however one of his subordinates shot one of the hostages in a stand off and the group were sent to prison. Keith was given a 20 year sentence. Jovelle despises him due to his violent ways, and her earliest memories of him include him beating her and her mother.
My Film Opening Script
1. INT. HALLWAY. DAY
The film begins with a black screen. There is ominous background sound playing alongside the institution Logos to create suspense. While the logos are being shown, an argument between Jovelle and Krystal will be taking place.
JOVELLE
(Smirks)
Found you…
KRYSTAL
(Nervously)
Please, give me a chance to explain…
There is a long silence.
JOVELLE
And I loved you… loved you…
KRYSTAL
No… don’t say that… (Pause) Look, we can start again, please! Just… forgive me…
JOVELLE
(repeating Krystal’s words)
Forgive you…
There is a long silence.
KRYSTAL
(pleading)
No please, no…
JOVELLE
(angrily)
Enough!
KRYSTAL
(loudly)
No don’t!
The sound of a gunshot acts as a sound bridge into the scene, which shows blood being splattered against the wall. The camera cuts to a canted shot behind JOVELLE, showing KRYSTAL lying feebly on the ground. In JOVELLE’S hand, a pistol is shown. The camera cuts to a point of view shot, showing JOVELLE looking downwards at KRYSTAL, who is reaching up towards him. The camera pans upwards to a mid shot of JOVELLE, who is shown to stare at KRYSTAL for a couple of seconds, before raising the pistol. The camera cuts to a mid shot of KRYSTAL holding her arm up to JOVELLE. The sound of gunfire sounds out and KRYSTAL reacts to this by jerking upwards three times, before her arm falls deadly to her side. The camera cuts to a standard shot of the blood oozing slowly across the floor. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of JOVELLE’s mouth, on which a brief satisfied smile can be seen before quickly dissolving. The camera jumps to another close up shot of JOVELLE running her fingers through the blood. The camera quickly cuts again a long shot of JOVELLE scrawling “I’m sorry” on the wall in blood with her free hand. The camera jumps to a close up shot of JOVELLE raising the gun to her own head. JOVELLE takes a deep breath before the camera cuts to an extreme close up shot which shows JOVELLE’s finger pulling on the trigger. The screen quickly fades to black as the sound of the gunshot sounds out. The title screen will show during this black screen.
CUT TO:
2. INT. STUDY. NIGHT
The screen fades from black to an establishing shot of a youthful version of JOVELLE sat the study, typing on the computer. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of the computer screen, which shows Jovelle typing “I saw her again today…”
CUT TO:
EXT. FIELD. DAY
The camera cuts to a close up point of view shot of a youthful version of KRYSTAL, who turns around slowly and smiles cutely towards the camera.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDY. NIGHT
The camera cuts to a high angle shot of JOVELLE sat the study, taking a quick sip of her drink before placing the can down and beginning to type on the computer. The camera quickly pans around JOVELLE before cutting to a low angle shot of her face. She scowls at the computer, before resuming typing. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of the computer screen. On it, we see “And it’s all because of my father” The camera jumps to the same shot, however this time what is on the screen has been replaced with “I hate him…” The same sentence is copy & pasted beside the previous in a following frame. In the following frame, a much larger scale version of the previous phrase is pasted below the others.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT
The camera cuts to a mid shot of JOVELLE, huddled in the corner, staring upwards at her father. Her eyes focus on the belt in his hand then her head falls between her knees.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
The camera cuts to a high angle establishing shot of JOVELLE laying in the living room, writing in her diary. She is flicking her feet backwards and forwards in a childlike manner and rocking her head from side to side. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of the diary. In it, the audience will see JOVELLE write “I can’t take much more of this…”
CUT TO:
INT. PARK. DAY
The camera jumps to a low angle shot of JOVELLE sat on a climbing frame, staring at her forearm, a knife in her other hand. The camera jumps to a point of view shot of JOVELLE’s wrists, where two jagged bloody gashes can be seen running along her forearm. The camera jumps to an extreme close up shot of her bloody finger. Then camera cuts to another extreme close up shot of JOVELLE placing her bloody finger in her mouth.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDY. DAY
The camera cuts to a close up shot of JOVELLE staring out of the window. The camera cuts to an establishing shot of RAVEN who is crossing the road. There is a series of fragmented frames used to show this and the following. RAVEN crosses the road and walks past the driveway. She suddenly reappears at the bottom of the driveway and begins to walk up it. RAVEN suddenly stops walking and looks up at the camera. The camera then zooms in on her face as a sardonic smirk appears. In a quick transition between frames, RAVEN disappears. The screen fades to black.
JOVELLE
(Long Pause)
Let me tell you a story. I warn you… It’s in no way a happy one. It’s a story… about love… about death… about me…
The film begins with a black screen. There is ominous background sound playing alongside the institution Logos to create suspense. While the logos are being shown, an argument between Jovelle and Krystal will be taking place.
JOVELLE
(Smirks)
Found you…
KRYSTAL
(Nervously)
Please, give me a chance to explain…
There is a long silence.
JOVELLE
And I loved you… loved you…
KRYSTAL
No… don’t say that… (Pause) Look, we can start again, please! Just… forgive me…
JOVELLE
(repeating Krystal’s words)
Forgive you…
There is a long silence.
KRYSTAL
(pleading)
No please, no…
JOVELLE
(angrily)
Enough!
KRYSTAL
(loudly)
No don’t!
The sound of a gunshot acts as a sound bridge into the scene, which shows blood being splattered against the wall. The camera cuts to a canted shot behind JOVELLE, showing KRYSTAL lying feebly on the ground. In JOVELLE’S hand, a pistol is shown. The camera cuts to a point of view shot, showing JOVELLE looking downwards at KRYSTAL, who is reaching up towards him. The camera pans upwards to a mid shot of JOVELLE, who is shown to stare at KRYSTAL for a couple of seconds, before raising the pistol. The camera cuts to a mid shot of KRYSTAL holding her arm up to JOVELLE. The sound of gunfire sounds out and KRYSTAL reacts to this by jerking upwards three times, before her arm falls deadly to her side. The camera cuts to a standard shot of the blood oozing slowly across the floor. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of JOVELLE’s mouth, on which a brief satisfied smile can be seen before quickly dissolving. The camera jumps to another close up shot of JOVELLE running her fingers through the blood. The camera quickly cuts again a long shot of JOVELLE scrawling “I’m sorry” on the wall in blood with her free hand. The camera jumps to a close up shot of JOVELLE raising the gun to her own head. JOVELLE takes a deep breath before the camera cuts to an extreme close up shot which shows JOVELLE’s finger pulling on the trigger. The screen quickly fades to black as the sound of the gunshot sounds out. The title screen will show during this black screen.
CUT TO:
2. INT. STUDY. NIGHT
The screen fades from black to an establishing shot of a youthful version of JOVELLE sat the study, typing on the computer. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of the computer screen, which shows Jovelle typing “I saw her again today…”
CUT TO:
EXT. FIELD. DAY
The camera cuts to a close up point of view shot of a youthful version of KRYSTAL, who turns around slowly and smiles cutely towards the camera.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDY. NIGHT
The camera cuts to a high angle shot of JOVELLE sat the study, taking a quick sip of her drink before placing the can down and beginning to type on the computer. The camera quickly pans around JOVELLE before cutting to a low angle shot of her face. She scowls at the computer, before resuming typing. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of the computer screen. On it, we see “And it’s all because of my father” The camera jumps to the same shot, however this time what is on the screen has been replaced with “I hate him…” The same sentence is copy & pasted beside the previous in a following frame. In the following frame, a much larger scale version of the previous phrase is pasted below the others.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT
The camera cuts to a mid shot of JOVELLE, huddled in the corner, staring upwards at her father. Her eyes focus on the belt in his hand then her head falls between her knees.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
The camera cuts to a high angle establishing shot of JOVELLE laying in the living room, writing in her diary. She is flicking her feet backwards and forwards in a childlike manner and rocking her head from side to side. The camera cuts to an extreme close up shot of the diary. In it, the audience will see JOVELLE write “I can’t take much more of this…”
CUT TO:
INT. PARK. DAY
The camera jumps to a low angle shot of JOVELLE sat on a climbing frame, staring at her forearm, a knife in her other hand. The camera jumps to a point of view shot of JOVELLE’s wrists, where two jagged bloody gashes can be seen running along her forearm. The camera jumps to an extreme close up shot of her bloody finger. Then camera cuts to another extreme close up shot of JOVELLE placing her bloody finger in her mouth.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDY. DAY
The camera cuts to a close up shot of JOVELLE staring out of the window. The camera cuts to an establishing shot of RAVEN who is crossing the road. There is a series of fragmented frames used to show this and the following. RAVEN crosses the road and walks past the driveway. She suddenly reappears at the bottom of the driveway and begins to walk up it. RAVEN suddenly stops walking and looks up at the camera. The camera then zooms in on her face as a sardonic smirk appears. In a quick transition between frames, RAVEN disappears. The screen fades to black.
JOVELLE
(Long Pause)
Let me tell you a story. I warn you… It’s in no way a happy one. It’s a story… about love… about death… about me…
My Animatic Storyboard
Below is an animatic storyboard I created for my films opening, based on my "Initial Storyboard". I created the animatic sotryboard so that I could get a rough idea of how my film would run and how the soundtrack would run alongside my film's opening.
Some Feedback
I recently asked other people to evaluate my film ideas and ideas in my film opening, and I recieved this feeback:
Some of the people said that I had a good initial idea, but I really need to stress my Genre and make sure that I am not giving awasy too much of the storyline in the opening two minutes of my film. I also was told that I need to make sure that my props are realistic and the events in the film opening are performed effectively.
Some of the people said that I had a good initial idea, but I really need to stress my Genre and make sure that I am not giving awasy too much of the storyline in the opening two minutes of my film. I also was told that I need to make sure that my props are realistic and the events in the film opening are performed effectively.
My Initial Story Board
Below is a link to my Initial Story Board
My Initial Story Board
Below is a series of videoes in which I am talking through each frame and discussing my film opening.
Part 1
Part 2
I showed my storyboard to a variety of people and they gave me feedback, saying that I should try not to give too much information away in the film's opening. I plan to use this feedback to make sure that my film's opening is gripping, not too confusing, yet forces the audience to ask questions about what is to happen later in the film.
My Initial Story Board
Below is a series of videoes in which I am talking through each frame and discussing my film opening.
Part 1
Part 2
I showed my storyboard to a variety of people and they gave me feedback, saying that I should try not to give too much information away in the film's opening. I plan to use this feedback to make sure that my film's opening is gripping, not too confusing, yet forces the audience to ask questions about what is to happen later in the film.
Friday 18 February 2011
Important Notice
During the research and development stage of my film’s Production, I decided to change the name of my film. My initial film title ideas were: “All for You” and “The Diary of a Nobody”, however I have changed my films name to “Shadow of the Mind”, as I think this is a much stronger title and reflects the message of the play better. It will also show the purpose the the character Raven, whose appearance can be seen as the personified form of Jovelle's dark mind.
Monday 14 February 2011
Constructing my Film Opening's Narrative
This is an Initial Idea I Had For My Film Opening. This is quite basic and therefore does not contain all of the camera angles I would use, however it serves as a rought idea for what I am planning to do:
• An ominous background noise will be used to build tension. The film will start with the end of the narrative. The screen will be black as the film begins. The opening logos will run before the film starts. The logo’s will be:
• Lone Raven Pictures Presents…
• Produced + Directed By… Aero’s Edit
• Sound of distant shouting. This is followed by the sound of protest, followed by gunfire. The camera cuts into the action just in time to see the blood spatter on the wall.
• (Male 1) is staring at (Female 1) who lies dead on the ground.
• (Male 1) is shown to be holding the gun. His hand is injured and his blood is dripping down the barrel of the gun.
• Cars going past can be heard in the background
• The sound of police cars suddenly becomes apparent. (Male 1) remains motionless.
• Police are shown rushing up the stairs (their legs will be shown but only their legs.
• (Male 1) hears the police banging on the door. He appears calm walks over to the mirror and uses his bloody hand to write “I’m sorry” on it. The image in the mirror will flicker to the teenage version of himself
• (Male 1) Places the gun against his head and pulls the trigger.
• Before the gun fires, cut to films title. Sound of gun fire causes the titles to begin to appear as if written.
• Edgy music will begin to play along side the opening credits (etc…). Quick snappy jump cuts between scenes which show events in the character’s past will make the opening more surreal:
• Writing in Diary (long shot of character in “Study”, scrawling manically in his diary.
• Jump cut to a high angle shot that shows him writing pages and pages in his diary.
• The camera focuses in on his writing. It becomes apparent that he is writing about a girl. The sentence that will be highlighted to the audience will be “I saw her again today…”
• Jump cut to a close up of “love interest”. She turns towards the camera, and smiles.
• The camera quickly flickers between her and the dead body a couple of times before cutting back to a high angle shot of him, still scrawling away in his diary.
• The camera cuts quickly to more events in his past, which show him hidden in the cupboard, watching his parents arguing. His father is backing his mother into a corner.
• The scene cuts slightly into the future where his mother is being brutally attacked by his father. The camera zooms in on the wardrobe where the he is shown crying.
• Suddenly, a loud (almost demonic) scream arises which acts as a sound bridge into the next frame, where the camera is focusing again on the words in the diary. “I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM!!!” will be all that appears on the page.
• Another jump cut shows a close up of (Male 1) alone in a room, slicing open his finger with a razor blade. He looks at his finger for a second, before bringing his finger to his bloody mouth and licking it.
• The jump cuts between frames now grow faster and the frames themselves grow shorter. The frames flicker between the previous one and the current one to create tension. There will also be a build in tense background noise.
• Jump cut to a close up of him staring out of the window.
• Jump cut to a P.O.V shot of him looking out the window. There is no movement in the road.
• Jump cut to the same scene. “Raven” has appeared. In the centre of the street. She is looking down the road. (Long Shot)
• Jump cut to the same scene. She is looking upwards at the camera. (Long Shot yet closer)
• Zoom in on the same shot. (Long Shot yet closer)
• Zoom in on the same frame. (Body Length Shot)
• Zoom in on the same frame. (Mid Shot)
• Zoom in on the same frame. (Close up)
• Zoom in on the same frame (Extreme close up on eyes)
• Jump cut to the first shot of “Raven” in the middle of the road, looking upwards at the camera. (Long Shot)
• Jump cut to the same shot. “Raven” has disappeared.
• The montage of jump cuts cease as the sound reaches its climax. There is now an ominous silence.
• The camera focuses on (Main 1) who is starting out of the window. He has a blank expression on his face, showing this experience is now normal for him. He turns around slowly and sees “Raven”
• The screen jumps to a black screen.
• In my film, this would then go into the films plot but this is where my film opening ends.
In this, I have used (Main 1) to represent my main male protagonist in my film, as i have not yet decided on a name for him. Some of the ideas I have in miond for his name are:
- Jovelle Antony Williams - Originates from two of my names (Jovelle & Antony) along with my mother's maiden name (Williams)
- Jaden Lucas - This name was randomly created by being chosen randomly from two hats, one containing a variety of forenames and the other containing surnames
(The names mentioned above are ones I'm siding with as in my film, the character's who are on close terms with the protagonist will refer to him as "Jay")
- Andrew Jones - Generated by random choice from a hat.
- Scott Johnson - Generated by random choice from a hat.
I have also used (Female 1) to represent my female lead protagonist. Some of the names I have chosen are:
- Krystal Holmes - I chose the surname randomly from a hat, however the first name of this character was a play on the word "Crystal", subtlely indicating that she is precious through the main character's eyes. I used this to come up with more names, including:
- Sapphire
- Ruby
- Precious
- Jade
• An ominous background noise will be used to build tension. The film will start with the end of the narrative. The screen will be black as the film begins. The opening logos will run before the film starts. The logo’s will be:
• Lone Raven Pictures Presents…
• Produced + Directed By… Aero’s Edit
• Sound of distant shouting. This is followed by the sound of protest, followed by gunfire. The camera cuts into the action just in time to see the blood spatter on the wall.
• (Male 1) is staring at (Female 1) who lies dead on the ground.
• (Male 1) is shown to be holding the gun. His hand is injured and his blood is dripping down the barrel of the gun.
• Cars going past can be heard in the background
• The sound of police cars suddenly becomes apparent. (Male 1) remains motionless.
• Police are shown rushing up the stairs (their legs will be shown but only their legs.
• (Male 1) hears the police banging on the door. He appears calm walks over to the mirror and uses his bloody hand to write “I’m sorry” on it. The image in the mirror will flicker to the teenage version of himself
• (Male 1) Places the gun against his head and pulls the trigger.
• Before the gun fires, cut to films title. Sound of gun fire causes the titles to begin to appear as if written.
• Edgy music will begin to play along side the opening credits (etc…). Quick snappy jump cuts between scenes which show events in the character’s past will make the opening more surreal:
• Writing in Diary (long shot of character in “Study”, scrawling manically in his diary.
• Jump cut to a high angle shot that shows him writing pages and pages in his diary.
• The camera focuses in on his writing. It becomes apparent that he is writing about a girl. The sentence that will be highlighted to the audience will be “I saw her again today…”
• Jump cut to a close up of “love interest”. She turns towards the camera, and smiles.
• The camera quickly flickers between her and the dead body a couple of times before cutting back to a high angle shot of him, still scrawling away in his diary.
• The camera cuts quickly to more events in his past, which show him hidden in the cupboard, watching his parents arguing. His father is backing his mother into a corner.
• The scene cuts slightly into the future where his mother is being brutally attacked by his father. The camera zooms in on the wardrobe where the he is shown crying.
• Suddenly, a loud (almost demonic) scream arises which acts as a sound bridge into the next frame, where the camera is focusing again on the words in the diary. “I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM!!!” will be all that appears on the page.
• Another jump cut shows a close up of (Male 1) alone in a room, slicing open his finger with a razor blade. He looks at his finger for a second, before bringing his finger to his bloody mouth and licking it.
• The jump cuts between frames now grow faster and the frames themselves grow shorter. The frames flicker between the previous one and the current one to create tension. There will also be a build in tense background noise.
• Jump cut to a close up of him staring out of the window.
• Jump cut to a P.O.V shot of him looking out the window. There is no movement in the road.
• Jump cut to the same scene. “Raven” has appeared. In the centre of the street. She is looking down the road. (Long Shot)
• Jump cut to the same scene. She is looking upwards at the camera. (Long Shot yet closer)
• Zoom in on the same shot. (Long Shot yet closer)
• Zoom in on the same frame. (Body Length Shot)
• Zoom in on the same frame. (Mid Shot)
• Zoom in on the same frame. (Close up)
• Zoom in on the same frame (Extreme close up on eyes)
• Jump cut to the first shot of “Raven” in the middle of the road, looking upwards at the camera. (Long Shot)
• Jump cut to the same shot. “Raven” has disappeared.
• The montage of jump cuts cease as the sound reaches its climax. There is now an ominous silence.
• The camera focuses on (Main 1) who is starting out of the window. He has a blank expression on his face, showing this experience is now normal for him. He turns around slowly and sees “Raven”
• The screen jumps to a black screen.
• In my film, this would then go into the films plot but this is where my film opening ends.
In this, I have used (Main 1) to represent my main male protagonist in my film, as i have not yet decided on a name for him. Some of the ideas I have in miond for his name are:
- Jovelle Antony Williams - Originates from two of my names (Jovelle & Antony) along with my mother's maiden name (Williams)
- Jaden Lucas - This name was randomly created by being chosen randomly from two hats, one containing a variety of forenames and the other containing surnames
(The names mentioned above are ones I'm siding with as in my film, the character's who are on close terms with the protagonist will refer to him as "Jay")
- Andrew Jones - Generated by random choice from a hat.
- Scott Johnson - Generated by random choice from a hat.
I have also used (Female 1) to represent my female lead protagonist. Some of the names I have chosen are:
- Krystal Holmes - I chose the surname randomly from a hat, however the first name of this character was a play on the word "Crystal", subtlely indicating that she is precious through the main character's eyes. I used this to come up with more names, including:
- Sapphire
- Ruby
- Precious
- Jade
Constructing my Film's Narrative
This is the initial idea of my film's narrative. I am still making changes to the narrative of my film but the current underline plot of my film is:
Part 1:
A boy of 17 finds his life lacking purpose, as the one thing he lives for (in this case Krystal) can never be his. After Jovelle’s narration about his life so far, he almost gets into a scrape with Callum, the school tough guy. Then, one day, he meets the mysterious “Raven” when she asks him for a lighter for her cigarette. She jokes with him, telling him that “she quit just this morning”. Her dark mood intrigues Jovelle as it offers him comfort and a sense of familiarity. The two part, knowing their paths will cross once again. Jovelle is sat at the back of the classroom when he is partnered up with Krystal. The two are slightly nervous around each other but find out they have a lot in common. When Jovelle leaves school, he meets up with Raven who has been waiting for him. She tells him that Krystal is bad news and not to be trusted. Jovelle asks her how she knows about Krystal, and just who the hell she is. She tells him to call her “Raven”, and hops on the bus. (KEY MOMENT) She shows her ticket to the bus driver and walks on, exchanging a few last words with Jovelle. The bus driver asks Jovelle if he’s getting on or not and Jovelle shakes his head by mistake and the bus departs. Jovelle then realises he missed his bus. Jovelle gets home late to find his mother sat alone by the table, a cup of coffee in one hand and an empty bottle of antidepressants in the other. She is a mess. Jovelle tried to offer her solitude and tells her she should stop taking the pills, however the argument escalates and she throws an opened letter at him which is a visiting order from the state prison. The two argue and Jovelle’s mother ends up slapping him. Enraged, yet near tears, Jovelle retreats upstairs, where Raven is awaiting him. He asks her how she got in and she tells him the back door was left open so she walked in, and that she hoped Jovelle’s mother wouldn’t mind. Jovelle tells her that “that crazy bitch probably wouldn’t have noticed”, a statement he quickly regrets saying.
He then tells Raven, alongside a coinciding flashback, that his father was sentenced to 12 years in prison due to domestic violence, attempted murder, possession of narcotics and assault on a police officer. The flashback shows his brutal attack on Jovelle’s mother (the elongated version of what was shown in the film’s opening) followed by the police breaking into his home and arresting him. Returning to the present, Jovelle tells Raven that his father wants to meet with him, but he can’t do it because he knows it will upset his mother and may push her over the edge. Raven takes Jovelle out to a club in order to help clear his mind. The two talk and end the night with a kiss. 
Jovelle is stunned and feels guilty for sharing his first kiss with someone other than Krystal, but she tells him not to worry and it doesn’t mean anything. The two awkwardly depart. The story continues and Jovelle and Krystal see more and more of each other. One day at the bus stop, Callum decides to start trouble. Jovelle is all up for a fight; however he cannot bring himself to throw a punch when he sees Krystal, and is disgraced with a sound beating. Krystal shouts, “leave him alone!” which fills Jovelle with hope and at the same time he feels weakened that he had to rely on the assistance from her. Someone eventually breaks up the fight and Jovelle casually, with barely a scratch on him, gets up and begins to head home, but is followed by Krystal, who apologises for not being of any more help and invites him out.
Jovelle meets up with her and the two spend the day together and are about to move in to kiss, when Jovelle receives a call from his mother, and Krystal leaves.
Over the course of the next week, Jovelle and Krystal become close friends. One day, the two are talking when Callum walks past and lightly insults Jovelle. Jovelle, in the presence of Krystal, feels a strange power sweep over him and insults Callum straight back. Callum, now feeling challenged, tries to threaten Jovelle and force him to back down, but Jovelle doesn’t. Jovelle, led by a strange desire to impress Krystal and finally put Callum in his place, shows Callum up by countering all his attacks with ease, before kicking him in his groin, causing him to cry and wet himself. Callum, realising he has been made a fool out of, nastily insults Jovelle and his family, which not only earns him the loss of respect from his friends, but a punch in the face by Jovelle. Jovelle is suspended for the rest of the week for fighting, but feels as though it was worth it. Jovelle is by the river throwing stones in the river when he is met by Raven. She seems cynical about Krystal and tells Jovelle he’s making a huge mistake, before leaving. Jovelle doesn’t see Raven for a long while after their argument. During that time, Jovelle’s father escapes from jail, his fearful mother kills herself, Callum leaves the school and Jovelle and Krystal finally get together after the funeral.
Jovelle continues life as normal until one day when he is attacked by a knife wielding Callum on his way home. Callum drives the knife into Jovelle’s shoulder, but Jovelle quickly reverses the situation by knocking Callum out with a brick, but Jovelle lets all of his suppressed rage out on Callum’s unconscious body and bludgeons his head in. Raven, who had been watching the whole thing, appears and offers Jovelle support as he begins to crack under the realisation that he is now a murderer. The two, under Raven’s guidance, remove all traces of Jovelle’s presence from the scene, before telephoning the police, telling them that Jovelle’s father has committed murder and has now head to his hideout. Finally, Raven tells Jovelle to remove the knife from his shoulder, before forcing him to hold it out and ramming it into his chest. As he collapses, she tells him that she has done him a favour as now the police will view him as a victim of his father as a pose to a suspect. Jovelle finally collapses and blacks out due to blood loss. From here, there will be a short section where Jovelle’s father’s hideout is surrounded by police and refusing to be captured again, he begins to shoot at the police, but is shot in the head and dies.
Part 2:
There has been a huge jump of about 7 years and the characters are now adults. Jovelle and Krystal haven’t spoken in years and Jovelle hasn’t seen Raven since that night. One day, Jovelle meets up with Krystal and the two hit it off and end up together again. Raven makes a reappearance and Jovelle will begin to change. After Krystal becomes pregnant and his child is stillborn, Jovelle slowly begins to become paranoid and lose his grip on his sanity. Raven takes advantage of Jovelle’s crumbling sanity to twist his mind but before she can convince him to kill Krystal, he ends up in a mental institution. He manages to escape and, now completely under Raven’s influence and believes Krystal is evil and murdered his baby (this is not true but is what he believes due to Raven’s lies.) Jovelle finds the gun that has remained hidden in his house for years since his father hid it years ago and after Krystal arrives home, he locks her in and begins to threaten her with it. Krystal finds out that Jovelle killed Callum years ago and realises that he is not joking when he threaten to kill her. Taking her chances, Jovelle tries to escape but Jovelle grabs hold of her. She bits hard down on his hand, causing severe damage to it. Jovelle finally throws her down and shoots her through the chest. She dies almost instantly. Jovelle becomes aware of the mistake he made and murders himself. Raven, walks alongside Jovelle’s body and smiles, before disappearing, confirming to the audience that she was in fact all along just an apparition.
Part 1:
Jovelle is stunned and feels guilty for sharing his first kiss with someone other than Krystal, but she tells him not to worry and it doesn’t mean anything. The two awkwardly depart. The story continues and Jovelle and Krystal see more and more of each other. One day at the bus stop, Callum decides to start trouble. Jovelle is all up for a fight; however he cannot bring himself to throw a punch when he sees Krystal, and is disgraced with a sound beating. Krystal shouts, “leave him alone!” which fills Jovelle with hope and at the same time he feels weakened that he had to rely on the assistance from her. Someone eventually breaks up the fight and Jovelle casually, with barely a scratch on him, gets up and begins to head home, but is followed by Krystal, who apologises for not being of any more help and invites him out.
Over the course of the next week, Jovelle and Krystal become close friends. One day, the two are talking when Callum walks past and lightly insults Jovelle. Jovelle, in the presence of Krystal, feels a strange power sweep over him and insults Callum straight back. Callum, now feeling challenged, tries to threaten Jovelle and force him to back down, but Jovelle doesn’t. Jovelle, led by a strange desire to impress Krystal and finally put Callum in his place, shows Callum up by countering all his attacks with ease, before kicking him in his groin, causing him to cry and wet himself. Callum, realising he has been made a fool out of, nastily insults Jovelle and his family, which not only earns him the loss of respect from his friends, but a punch in the face by Jovelle. Jovelle is suspended for the rest of the week for fighting, but feels as though it was worth it. Jovelle is by the river throwing stones in the river when he is met by Raven. She seems cynical about Krystal and tells Jovelle he’s making a huge mistake, before leaving. Jovelle doesn’t see Raven for a long while after their argument. During that time, Jovelle’s father escapes from jail, his fearful mother kills herself, Callum leaves the school and Jovelle and Krystal finally get together after the funeral.
Jovelle continues life as normal until one day when he is attacked by a knife wielding Callum on his way home. Callum drives the knife into Jovelle’s shoulder, but Jovelle quickly reverses the situation by knocking Callum out with a brick, but Jovelle lets all of his suppressed rage out on Callum’s unconscious body and bludgeons his head in. Raven, who had been watching the whole thing, appears and offers Jovelle support as he begins to crack under the realisation that he is now a murderer. The two, under Raven’s guidance, remove all traces of Jovelle’s presence from the scene, before telephoning the police, telling them that Jovelle’s father has committed murder and has now head to his hideout. Finally, Raven tells Jovelle to remove the knife from his shoulder, before forcing him to hold it out and ramming it into his chest. As he collapses, she tells him that she has done him a favour as now the police will view him as a victim of his father as a pose to a suspect. Jovelle finally collapses and blacks out due to blood loss. From here, there will be a short section where Jovelle’s father’s hideout is surrounded by police and refusing to be captured again, he begins to shoot at the police, but is shot in the head and dies.
Part 2:
There has been a huge jump of about 7 years and the characters are now adults. Jovelle and Krystal haven’t spoken in years and Jovelle hasn’t seen Raven since that night. One day, Jovelle meets up with Krystal and the two hit it off and end up together again. Raven makes a reappearance and Jovelle will begin to change. After Krystal becomes pregnant and his child is stillborn, Jovelle slowly begins to become paranoid and lose his grip on his sanity. Raven takes advantage of Jovelle’s crumbling sanity to twist his mind but before she can convince him to kill Krystal, he ends up in a mental institution. He manages to escape and, now completely under Raven’s influence and believes Krystal is evil and murdered his baby (this is not true but is what he believes due to Raven’s lies.) Jovelle finds the gun that has remained hidden in his house for years since his father hid it years ago and after Krystal arrives home, he locks her in and begins to threaten her with it. Krystal finds out that Jovelle killed Callum years ago and realises that he is not joking when he threaten to kill her. Taking her chances, Jovelle tries to escape but Jovelle grabs hold of her. She bits hard down on his hand, causing severe damage to it. Jovelle finally throws her down and shoots her through the chest. She dies almost instantly. Jovelle becomes aware of the mistake he made and murders himself. Raven, walks alongside Jovelle’s body and smiles, before disappearing, confirming to the audience that she was in fact all along just an apparition.
Thinking about Narrative
In order to construct the narrative for my film opening, I designed a 3D storyboard using post-it notes and jelly babies. I did this by arranging the jelly babies onto each post-it note, before placing time duration, shot type, transition and sound, in a separate heading underneath. By doing this, it allowed my to picture each scene in my head with included background, ambience and cast, making the overall ideas of my piece a lot stronger. I also found that by using different colour jelly babies, I could quickly determine for myself just who the antagonist, protagonist and additional characters would appear in each scene. This then allowed me to deconstruct my own 3D storyboard for mise purposes, which meant that I could question my own ideas and make adaptations to my storyboard, making my overall idea a lot stronger in the end. I did find this a lot more beneficial than doing a simple sketch as it was quicker and the pieces could be moved about as a pose to having to redraw the entire picture.
Above is an image of my 3D storyboard.
Above is an image of my 3D storyboard.
Research into the Thriller genre
Thrillers are a genre seen in media, film and televison texts that uses suspence and excitement as a common method to tell a story to an audience. The main purpose of the film is to generally keep the audience on the edge of their seats as the plot builds to a climax. Most thriller films excel in covering up important information from the audience until the end of the film where there is usually a big reveal in which the "mysteries" in the film are seemingly solved. Common thriller storylines revolve around crime (kiddnappings, heists, revenge being a few prime choices), however quite a large amount of thriller films (especially psychological thrillers) focus on more psychological themes (mind games, stalking, confinement, obsession being a few examples.) The most common type of thriller is the psychological thriller, however after the assassination of Presedent Kennidy, polical thrillers became very popular. Thriller films can be seen to have a "villain driven" plotline which the protagonist must overcome.
The majority of Thriller films are set in "ordinary" settings and the majority of the protagonists are regular citizens unacustomed to dangerous situations. However in crime based thriller films, the protagonists can be tough guys who are accustomed to danger (for example, detectives and police officers)
Thriller films are very similar to mysteries, however; the main difference is that in Thriller films, the hero attempts to foil a villain’s plan while in mystery films, the hero is trying to solve a crime that has already happened. For example, murder mysteries would be spoiled if the murderer was revealed from the start, however in thrillers the murder would be revealed to the audience from the beginning. Thrillers usually are a lot grander than mysteries, for example, while a mystery will end when the crime is solved, thriller films usually climax when the hero defeats the villain and saves the day. Another key difference is heroes in mystery films usually suvive once they mystery is solved, however, in a respectable amount of thriller films, the hero is often killed during the film’s climax. This method is highly influenced by “film noir” or “tragedy” films, which also show the hero to fall during the film’s ending. Recent thriller films seem to have converged with the horror genre and have a more sadistic tone and exhibit a lot more gore, violence and murders to the audience.
The majority of Thriller films are set in "ordinary" settings and the majority of the protagonists are regular citizens unacustomed to dangerous situations. However in crime based thriller films, the protagonists can be tough guys who are accustomed to danger (for example, detectives and police officers)
Thriller films are very similar to mysteries, however; the main difference is that in Thriller films, the hero attempts to foil a villain’s plan while in mystery films, the hero is trying to solve a crime that has already happened. For example, murder mysteries would be spoiled if the murderer was revealed from the start, however in thrillers the murder would be revealed to the audience from the beginning. Thrillers usually are a lot grander than mysteries, for example, while a mystery will end when the crime is solved, thriller films usually climax when the hero defeats the villain and saves the day. Another key difference is heroes in mystery films usually suvive once they mystery is solved, however, in a respectable amount of thriller films, the hero is often killed during the film’s climax. This method is highly influenced by “film noir” or “tragedy” films, which also show the hero to fall during the film’s ending. Recent thriller films seem to have converged with the horror genre and have a more sadistic tone and exhibit a lot more gore, violence and murders to the audience.
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