Main Task: Screen Play

The dictionary defines the screenplay or a script that is written by screenwriters for a film, video game or a television program. These screenplays or scripts must include acting instructions and stage directions.

Down below is a copy of the script that was written for our opening.

The Script

Scene description

Set in an old abandoned garage. Bright lights shine on a table, upon the table lay a girl unconscious. Above her stands a man dressed in doctors uniform.

Doctor

(Picks up the scissors and moves around the girl on table)

Girl

(Wakes up, but still drugged and so is coming in and out of consciousness. She is making squirming, crying, scared sounds)

Doctor

“There’s no point, no-one can hear you”

Girl

“Please… let me go (continues crying) Please, please, I wont tell anyone… Just let me go”

Doctor

(Leans over the girl and strokes her cheek)

 “Everything is going to be fine”

Girl

(Flinches and pulls away)

(Sternly) “Get off of me!”

Doctor

“Shhhhhhhhhhh”

Girl

(Starts screaming and panicking)

“Please help me…. help, help, anybody help me… “

Doctor 

“No-one can hear you!” (He hits the girl)

Girl

(Crying) “Please” (Whispers) “Please just let me go…”

Doctor

“Once I finish, you are free to leave”

(Doctor picks up a scalpel)

Girl

“What are you going to do to me?

Doctor

(Walks over to her and aims the scalpel)

Girl

“No… stop please!”

(Scared, crying sounds)

Doctor

(Cuts into the girl’s stomach, she passes out from the pain and shock)


Reflection
With this script I do think there is much dialogue which can be good but also bad as you would not be able to understand with visuals.
As we got on set and the actors had read through their lines it seemed to flow naturally but also they made it there own by saying other lines and mixing it up a bit which I personally think was great as it did not look so scripted and looked real. 

Main Task: Shot List

Shot List

A shot list is what is known in the film industry as a list given to the film crew that includes all the shots that need to be filmed but also what lens needs to be used and let us not forget the order the shots must be filmed in. 

We had created our first shot list around the same time we made the story, considering that our first story board was not up to standards doing the shot list then was not the best idea. As a group we took this into thought and we redid the shot list because without a clear shot list the filming process would be delayed but also very dis-organised. 

Shot List

Reflection

Referring back to what I said about the filming process, being that we had planned and redone our shot list we did not have to go and re film and once the filming window was closed we kept it closed as we had what we needed.

Main Task: Storyboard

Storyboard

The dictionary defines a storyboard to be graphic organisers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualising a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. 

During the pre production we made several different storyboards that we just weren't happy with. I personally think this was because our ideas were too big to fulfill and we needed to think a less 'out of the box'. 

At first we had drawn up a sketched preview of what the real storyboard would look like, we then took a video to see how the shots would look if we were to use the DSLR cameras. By choosing this method to sort out things we got see what shots worked and what didn't, so after discussing as a group we created the final storyboard which was labelled with the shot type and on some a little caption.

Video taken of shot:

Story Board

Reflection

The storyboard helped us a lot during the pre production as it would be hard to film an opening with no direction. I believe a storyboard is very important for any media related or moving sequence as it allows you to know what is coming next but it also tells you how to carry out the job correctly. Not only does it give you guidance, it lists what you may need; certain sound effects, shot) and what the finishing product should look like if you mess up. 

Main Task: The Treatment

The dictionary defines a film treatment to be a piece of prose, typically the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture, television program, or radio play. It is generally longer and more detailed then the basic outline (one page synopsis) it may also choose to include details of directorial style.

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The treatment made up a huge part in the pre production as it was part of the planning process, it was the document that everyone had copy of and could refer back to it to see what was going to happen within each section this meant we could all be on the same page. 

Down below is what was included in the film treatment:

1. Film Title

2. Production Company Name

3. Film Duration

4. Roles within the Team

5. Castings

6. Character Information

 7. Costumes

8. Setting

9. Synopsis [Film Idea]

10. Lighting

11. Sound

12.Props

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Film Treatment

Film Title: The Organ Player
Production Name: The Dreggs
Film Duration: 2 minutes

Roles:

Director - Lauren

Assistant Director - Naomi

Creative Production Manager - Desiree

Camera Man/Screen play - Sophie

Characters:

Doctor: Martyn Thomson

Girl: Stephanie Martin

Costumes:

The Doctor:

o   The doctor will be dressed in blue scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck; the equipment worn by the doctor will be edged with dirt and grim to express the uncleanliness and darkness of the situation.

The girl:

o   The girl will be dressed in clothing that is naturally associated with the nightlife; this would be a short dress with a pair of heel/pumps (alongside with her make up done to the full extent).

Synopsis (Film Idea):

A doctor with physiological problems kidnaps a girl on her way out to meet her friends. He then takes her away to his abandon workshop dungeon and drugs her with morphine; he then cuts open the girl and removes her main organs for organ trafficking. A year before this happened, the girl had been constantly dreaming about being cut open and being a key participate in organ trafficking. One day she starts to see the man in her dreams during her daily life. She is then seeing things such as the doctors’ equipment; that originate from the dream.

She then thinks she is going insane and develops paranoia as she is worried about her safety. Her friends try to comfort her by telling her that it is just a dream and everything will be alright. The girl then carries on to live her life as normal and tries to sleep until one night when she went to bed, then wakes up on a table in a dark and peculiar abandoned location. [The end of the film is also the start of the film].

Setting:

We have chosen to film our movie in a garage that will be dressed to look abandoned. Being so the female character will be oblivious to where she is located.

Props:

·         Medical Instruments

·         Table

·         Straps; to restrict the girl from moving

·         Raw kidney

·         Fake blood; this includes red & black food dye, flour and honey

·         Ropes

Lighting:

For the lighting we have decided to use a lamp that will hang from the ceiling. At first we were going to use the ceiling lights that are already in the roof of the garage but we then realised it will make our footage look flat and we need to create depth.

Sound:

We are going to use as many diegetic sounds; when the girl is being slapped we are going to recreate the sound whilst on set by hitting raw meat with a baseball bat, being that it will be created on set it can give that real life effect of hitting real human skin. Also with the cutting into the torso of girl we will be using the sound from cutting into raw meat and using scraps of meat soaked in water to create that slushy and gory sound. [This can be done during the filming of the opening or recorded after footage has been shot.

We are also going to use some non- diegetic sounds; these are going to be played through the majority of the opening, with the volume level changing depending on what is in shot at that precise moment.

The non- diegetic sounds are going to be added during the post-production stage as well as using the diegetic sounds and over lapping them depending on whether they need to be included in that scene with other sounds or not.

Reflection

With the treatment we decided to do this as a group as it would be easier but we could all contribute ideas and there would be no conflict. 

Working together also enabled us to make the work very detailed as everyone took care in writing their own individual piece before discussing/editing it with the group. Leaving us more time for filming and editing. 

Main Task: Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

What is a risk assessment?

- The dictionary defines a risk assessment to be a systematic process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking.

In class we were given a basic outline of a risk assessment that we then took upon our selves to change and apply to our own company. Down below is the risk assessment that was created in the pre-production.

Hazards		Person at Risk	Risk Control Measures	Risk	Comments
Open car pits	Film Unit		Film unit must avoid big open spaces/dips in the ground. Big open areas should be guarded at all times by Producer and Assistant Director.	Medium/High	All Crew (Students) Under 18 to apply to ALL hazards
Oil Spills		Film Unit	All spills should have a ‘Slippery Floor’ signs these should be put down by the Producer.	Medium
Open Mains Circuit		Film Unit	Liquids should be prohibited around main control panel box. Liquids found near mains shall be confiscated and disposed of.	High
Loose Wires		Film Unit	Wires shall be taped down to the ground to prevent tripping this should be done by all members of the filming unit. Liquids should be avoided around open to prevent electrical shocks.	Medium
Falling Objects		Film Unit	Avoid walking under broken items. Film Crew must not touch surrounding items without permission. All loose items must be secured before filming.	Low/Medium
Weak Equipment		Actors	All tables and step ladders must have a mat underneath in case they collapse but the producer should also be close in case of an emergency.	Low
Lost Crew		Film Unit	Unit must stay together at all times and must travel together back and fourth to different locations. Head counts must also be done before travelling.	Low
Lack of Unit Organization		Film Unit	Producer must oversee everything that is being done by crew. Crew must also be briefed about the day before filming.	Low
Weather		Film Unit	Producer must be aware of the weather forecast for the day and make back up plans.	Low
First Aid		Film Unit	Producer must be responsible for access to all First Aid facilities and have all emergency contact numbers.	Low

Reflection

The risk assessment is another very important part of the pre-production as with this everyone in the company can be at risk of the unknown. Without this assessment I believe as a company we would be at risk of things happening as we would not know how to avoid them but also not know how to over come the problems. Another thing about the assessment which is important is it enables us to be organised. 

Main Task: Applying Character Research

Character Research: Victim

As the creative producer it was my job to do a little bit more research on the 'typical' stereotypes of a female victim. Traditionally there is always a female victim that is seen as 'the damsel in distress' these women are usually kidnapped or murdered by the killer for committing a sinful act that they believe is wrong in their own physiological way.

As the appearance was very important for our opening we tried to focus on the conventions of a female victim, this consisted of the victim being a 'dumb blonde' I say this not in a offensive way but going down the stereotypical route. They normally act very unaware of their surroundings and their own thoughts; this leads them to be killed in a more gruesome way as the killer will have lost patience with their mentality, but also their choice in wardrobe can come across as very 'provocative' and 'seductive' which appeals to the opposite sex. 

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Considering the victims are always heavily made up before they are attacked they are normally abducted from a night out or a social event as this is when they are more at risk and vulnerable . 

Now as a group we decided to break some of these conventions because we did not want our opening to be 'predictable' per say. 

Yes we had a female victim but she was a brunette we choose to have this colour hair as it would enable the audience to relate to the average 'next door' type of girl. Now usually you would see the victim wearing a very short red dress which have connotations of being very sexy but also dangerous, they would also be showing a lot of skin (cleavage and legs). We choose to dress our victim in a black lacy short dress which exposes her chest in a heart formation from the cut out in the dress but her legs were covered and so were her arms.  

Female character on set of the opening.

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 Character Research: Killer

As everyone knows there will always be a male killer, they come in all different forms from the demonic possession to a monster (werewolf, vampire or zombie)

If the killers are human, in the majority of horror films they will always be wearing a mask, this enables them to keep their identity hidden but also stops them from showing emotion towards the victim. Being that their face is covered this creates enigma and leaves the audience clueless as it also plays on the fear of the unknown.

Scream Character

Character from movie: Halloween

Hannibal Lecter 

We choose to stay to this convention and we did mask our character as he was playing a psycho doctor that was just released from a mental institute. Now as you see from the images above the killer is normally a middle aged man who has the stamina to keep up with their victims we choose to include this in our character but also making him tall and skinny so from the audiences point of view he has the main authority.

Martyn Thomson, our male actor playing the psycho doctor.

Reflection

Getting the character correct can be very easy when you choose to do the horror genre and when I say easy I mean predictable. Being that we have done research I believe straying away from the typical conventions has opened my eyes as a creative producer and as a group that you can still create the same effect even if you change the little things. 

Mcguffin/MacGuffin

McGuffin/MacGuffin

McGuffin/MacGuffin

Noun

McGuffin/MacGuffin is an object or device in a film/a book which serves merely as a trigger for the plot.

Connotations

Noun

The literal meaning we interpret of something. E.g. a box could be a connotation feeling of excitement, suspense, anticipation and fear.

In class we did some conational work and thought of different things that would come to mind if these objects were to be in a movie. The objects and thoughts are listed below.

 

Extra Gum:

·         Chewy

·         Fresh

·         Cold

·         School

·         Bad children

·         Mint

·         Detention

·         Under tables

·         Blowing bubbles

·         Gum smacking

 

 

Cricket Ball:

·         Cricket

·         Sport

·         Hard ball

·         Hurtful

·         Ashes

·         Cricket whites

·         Stumps

·         Cricket bats

·         Competitions

·         Red and white

·         Bowler

·         Batter

 

Buzz Light Toy:

·         Toy Story 1-3

·         Cartoon

·         Childhood Innocence

·         Joy

·         Space

·         Astronaut

·         Jealousy

·         Friendship

·         Flying

·         Plastic