Feedback:
- maybe don't show diagnosis of schizophrenia, let audience see it / work it out for themselves.
- either start from John leaving the doctor's office or start in doctor's office but don't hear diagnosis
- maybe use different mental disorder (such as bipolar disorder - have Kyle switching from nice to destructive).
- think of concise way to show Kyle becoming more destructive
- ditch coffee shop part of story - adds nothing to story
- don't go too elaborate with the hallucination idea, keep it relatively normal but with subtle hints at Kyle just being a hallucination.
Friday 30 September 2016
Thursday 29 September 2016
STORY-TELLING UNIT: My 25 Word Pitch for 'The Meeting'
The title:
The Meeting
The pitch:
A man who has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia makes an attempt at taking his own life but is prevented by a seemingly friendly stranger.
The genre:
Drama
The two main characters:
- Kyle, 22, an optimistic uni leaver who has just landed a decent post graduate job at an insurance firm in London. He takes the train from Chatham to London to get to work everyday. He is tall (6ft +), clean shaven and has lighter hair. (Kyle is just a hallucination of John's - an image of what John wishes to be)
- John, 24, has been struggling at his job due to his mental health leading to him booking a doctors appointment. In this appointment he is diagnosed with mild schizophrenia. He is tall (6ft), with dark hair and a beard.
The main location:
A pier with deep water flowing beneath. The characters meet here when one makes a suicide attempt.
The source material:
The Guardian: Man reunited with stranger who talked him down from suicide attempt.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/30/man-reunited-stranger-suicide-attempt-london-bridge
Plot:
John, having been distracted and stressed at work, finally decides to see a psychologist in the evening about these weird symptoms he has been having. John discovers from this appointment that he does in fact have mild schizophrenia.
Feeling like this is the end of the world, John rushes to the pier with the view of taking his own life. Just as he is about to climb onto the edge of the pier, a friendly stranger intervenes. Eventually the stranger (Kyle) manages to talk John out of jumping. The pair get chatting and decide to grab a coffee. Whilst Kyle goes away to make a quick phone call, a few of John's friends see him in the coffee shop and decide to say hello. John tells his friends that he is there having coffee with a new friend, this confuses John's other friends as they had just seen him walk into the coffee shop alone (a hint that Kyle is just a hallucination of John's).
The next day John has a treatment session scheduled, however, Kyle manages to persuade John not to go as he claims it is just a way of doctors trying to control him. Kyle continues to become more destructive and manipulative. John finally goes to one of his treatment sessions with Kyle only for the psychologist to tell him that there is no Kyle and that he is just a figment of John's imagination.
Initial Ideas and Development:
STORY-TELLING UNIT: "The Meeting" Initial Ideas
STORY-TELLING WORKSHOP: How The Workshops Affected My Ideas
The Meeting
The pitch:
A man who has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia makes an attempt at taking his own life but is prevented by a seemingly friendly stranger.
The genre:
Drama
The two main characters:
- Kyle, 22, an optimistic uni leaver who has just landed a decent post graduate job at an insurance firm in London. He takes the train from Chatham to London to get to work everyday. He is tall (6ft +), clean shaven and has lighter hair. (Kyle is just a hallucination of John's - an image of what John wishes to be)
The main location:
A pier with deep water flowing beneath. The characters meet here when one makes a suicide attempt.
The source material:
The Guardian: Man reunited with stranger who talked him down from suicide attempt.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/30/man-reunited-stranger-suicide-attempt-london-bridge
Plot:
John, having been distracted and stressed at work, finally decides to see a psychologist in the evening about these weird symptoms he has been having. John discovers from this appointment that he does in fact have mild schizophrenia.
Feeling like this is the end of the world, John rushes to the pier with the view of taking his own life. Just as he is about to climb onto the edge of the pier, a friendly stranger intervenes. Eventually the stranger (Kyle) manages to talk John out of jumping. The pair get chatting and decide to grab a coffee. Whilst Kyle goes away to make a quick phone call, a few of John's friends see him in the coffee shop and decide to say hello. John tells his friends that he is there having coffee with a new friend, this confuses John's other friends as they had just seen him walk into the coffee shop alone (a hint that Kyle is just a hallucination of John's).
The next day John has a treatment session scheduled, however, Kyle manages to persuade John not to go as he claims it is just a way of doctors trying to control him. Kyle continues to become more destructive and manipulative. John finally goes to one of his treatment sessions with Kyle only for the psychologist to tell him that there is no Kyle and that he is just a figment of John's imagination.
Initial Ideas and Development:
STORY-TELLING UNIT: "The Meeting" Initial Ideas
STORY-TELLING WORKSHOP: How The Workshops Affected My Ideas
Wednesday 28 September 2016
CAMERA WORKSHOP with Fergus Moloney
Today we had a camera workshop with Fergus and Sam. This consisted of learning a bit about the cameras and a few of the operations that can be performed on them.
The equipment we used:
- SONY PMW and the SONY XR cameras
- Manfrotto tripod
- Rode microphone and microphone boom
We learnt about the acronym SWEFF which stands for sound design - white balance - exposure - focus - framing
Sound
Sound is a very important part of production. It makes up 50% of the piece, therefore it is important to make sure the quality of this is as good as the quality of the footage. In order to get good sound quality we experimented with use the Rode microphone which is a directional microphone. We also learnt about the importance of using a boom and windshield in outdoor conditions.
White Balance
White balance is important as it affects the whole colour of your footage. In order to set the white balance, zoom in and focus on a white piece of paper and then set the white balance from this. This tells the camera what colour is white in this environment.
Exposure
The exposure can be adjusted to let more or less light into the shot. The exposure needs to be correct to avoid the footage being too bright or too dim.
Focus
We spent a lot of time working on the focus in this workshop. We discovered how important it is to get the focus right so that the shots were sharp and crisp. The focus can also be adjusted to provide different effects (e.g. when an over the shoulder shot is used, you can adjust the focus onto either the person's shoulder or the other person facing them).
Framing
We also spent a large amount of time working on the framing. Like focus, this can be adjusted to produce different effects (e.g. framing can be used to create an over the shoulder shot by having one person over to the left of the frame and another person further away on the right of the frame).
We experimented with adjusting the focus and framing whilst shooting a moving object / person. This proved difficult as you had to adjust both the focus and zoom at the same time in order to keep the person in shot and in focus. I finally got the hang of it but it took a few tries.
Here's a clip from the workshop:
The equipment we used:
- SONY PMW and the SONY XR cameras
- Manfrotto tripod
- Rode microphone and microphone boom
We learnt about the acronym SWEFF which stands for sound design - white balance - exposure - focus - framing
Sound
Sound is a very important part of production. It makes up 50% of the piece, therefore it is important to make sure the quality of this is as good as the quality of the footage. In order to get good sound quality we experimented with use the Rode microphone which is a directional microphone. We also learnt about the importance of using a boom and windshield in outdoor conditions.
White Balance
White balance is important as it affects the whole colour of your footage. In order to set the white balance, zoom in and focus on a white piece of paper and then set the white balance from this. This tells the camera what colour is white in this environment.
Exposure
The exposure can be adjusted to let more or less light into the shot. The exposure needs to be correct to avoid the footage being too bright or too dim.
Focus
We spent a lot of time working on the focus in this workshop. We discovered how important it is to get the focus right so that the shots were sharp and crisp. The focus can also be adjusted to provide different effects (e.g. when an over the shoulder shot is used, you can adjust the focus onto either the person's shoulder or the other person facing them).
Framing
We also spent a large amount of time working on the framing. Like focus, this can be adjusted to produce different effects (e.g. framing can be used to create an over the shoulder shot by having one person over to the left of the frame and another person further away on the right of the frame).
We experimented with adjusting the focus and framing whilst shooting a moving object / person. This proved difficult as you had to adjust both the focus and zoom at the same time in order to keep the person in shot and in focus. I finally got the hang of it but it took a few tries.
Here's a clip from the workshop:
Tuesday 27 September 2016
STORY-TELLING UNIT: Mind-mapping ideas
In order to come up with a story, I decided to mind map some ideas. These mind maps included potential locations and characters for my story. I already had the idea for my story from the newspaper article but I didn't really know where to head next.
These mind maps helped me to decide on some characters and locations.
I knew I wanted to my characters to be exact opposites and I knew I wanted one of my locations to be a pier / somewhere over water due to the nature of my story.
Once I had this figured out, I went about starting to write my 25 word pitch.
I knew I wanted to my characters to be exact opposites and I knew I wanted one of my locations to be a pier / somewhere over water due to the nature of my story.
Once I had this figured out, I went about starting to write my 25 word pitch.
Monday 26 September 2016
STORY-TELLING UNIT: Analysing Short Films with Simon Welsford
Today we watched and analysed a couple of short films with Simon. The short films were Soft & Stew and Punch.
Soft - Simon Ellis (2007)
- simple yet effective
- limited dialogue - story told through action
- leaves you with something to think about
Where did the idea come from?
Personal experience? Witness? Article?
- witnessed a boy being bullied on a school bus. Driver was boy's dad but didn't do anything about the bullying.
Genre: social realism / drama
Setting: urban neighbourhood / community
Characters: father, son and gang
Conflict: Violent / physical threat. Father / son domestic conflict. Father's internal emotional conflict.
Theme: Fatherhood, respect, fear, masculinity
25 word pitch for Soft:
- A father and son are victimised by a violent gang in a coming of age drama, leading to a strained relationship between the two.
Picking apart Soft:
- dad perfects his parking - perfectionist
- wearing a suit, coming home in evening - details of characters give away clues about their personality and occupation
- suit - white collar job
- already some conflict with son - "can you move your bag?" straight away - not a great relationship
- first sight of the cricket bag
- white shirt - morning, sensible, mundane, ordinary
- making tea seems routine - mundane
- keeps himself to himself
- doesn't like any conflict / tension
- sets up who character is by his activities / what he's wearing
- mobile phone footage links footage
- claustrophobic tunnel like footage - trapped in his own boring life?
- the bell (when the bell tolls) - adds ominous atmosphere
- youths target another innocent person - shows they will victimise anyone
- lack of interaction with shop keeper reinforces the idea that the character is not very sociable.
- father projecting insecurities onto son.
- says "victim" at the same time as seeing the youths
- blinds like bars (prison like, trapped)
- only time he shouts at his son
- car alarm going off the whole time
- wide angle lens helps give distorted image
- mobile phone footage relates back to when boy beaten up at start.
This whole session has helped provide inspiration for what I could include in my short film. The concept of my film doesn't have to be too elaborate to be interesting. It could revolve around everyday life like Soft.
Soft - Simon Ellis (2007)
- simple yet effective
- limited dialogue - story told through action
- leaves you with something to think about
Where did the idea come from?
Personal experience? Witness? Article?
- witnessed a boy being bullied on a school bus. Driver was boy's dad but didn't do anything about the bullying.
Genre: social realism / drama
Setting: urban neighbourhood / community
Characters: father, son and gang
Conflict: Violent / physical threat. Father / son domestic conflict. Father's internal emotional conflict.
Theme: Fatherhood, respect, fear, masculinity
25 word pitch for Soft:
- A father and son are victimised by a violent gang in a coming of age drama, leading to a strained relationship between the two.
Picking apart Soft:
- dad perfects his parking - perfectionist
- wearing a suit, coming home in evening - details of characters give away clues about their personality and occupation
- suit - white collar job
- already some conflict with son - "can you move your bag?" straight away - not a great relationship
- first sight of the cricket bag
- white shirt - morning, sensible, mundane, ordinary
- making tea seems routine - mundane
- keeps himself to himself
- doesn't like any conflict / tension
- sets up who character is by his activities / what he's wearing
- mobile phone footage links footage
- claustrophobic tunnel like footage - trapped in his own boring life?
- the bell (when the bell tolls) - adds ominous atmosphere
- youths target another innocent person - shows they will victimise anyone
- lack of interaction with shop keeper reinforces the idea that the character is not very sociable.
- father projecting insecurities onto son.
- says "victim" at the same time as seeing the youths
- blinds like bars (prison like, trapped)
- only time he shouts at his son
- car alarm going off the whole time
- wide angle lens helps give distorted image
- mobile phone footage relates back to when boy beaten up at start.
This whole session has helped provide inspiration for what I could include in my short film. The concept of my film doesn't have to be too elaborate to be interesting. It could revolve around everyday life like Soft.
STORY-TELLING UNIT: Screenwriting with Steve Coombes
Today we had a screenwriting session with Steve Coombes. We learnt about the basics of screenplays and also the golden rules to follow when creating your own screenplay.
1 hour screenplay = 16 000 words
10 mins = 2000 words
Logline - pitch of a pitch
Elevator pitch - pitch can be read and decided in the time it takes the elevator to reach its destination.
Treatment - story (scene by scene)
Bible - overview of characters, story arcs and background research
Screenplay - any visual narrative drama / template before filming / proposal for film or TV show.
1st golden rule
Keep a need to know basis.
2nd golden rule
Show, don't tell.
3rd golden rule
Screenplay is like a joke. There should be a set up, distraction then a punchline.
4th golden rule
Know your ending.
5th golden rule
Create moments in the screenplay.
I will take these rules on board which will hopefully help to make my screenwriting process more straightforward.
1 hour screenplay = 16 000 words
10 mins = 2000 words
Logline - pitch of a pitch
Elevator pitch - pitch can be read and decided in the time it takes the elevator to reach its destination.
Treatment - story (scene by scene)
Bible - overview of characters, story arcs and background research
Screenplay - any visual narrative drama / template before filming / proposal for film or TV show.
1st golden rule
Keep a need to know basis.
2nd golden rule
Show, don't tell.
3rd golden rule
Screenplay is like a joke. There should be a set up, distraction then a punchline.
4th golden rule
Know your ending.
5th golden rule
Create moments in the screenplay.
I will take these rules on board which will hopefully help to make my screenwriting process more straightforward.
Sunday 25 September 2016
STORY-TELLING UNIT: Project Research
For my idea I got inspiration from this news article:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/30/man-reunited-stranger-suicide-attempt-london-bridge
I obviously didn't want to just steal their story, so I decided to take inspiration from it and create my own original story.
I thought the idea of two characters meeting because of a suicide attempt was quite an original idea so I used this as the main narrative of my short film.
I then added ideas such as the other person not actually being real but just a hallucination of the character suffering with schizophrenia.
I actually wasn't going to take the idea of one of the characters having schizophrenia from the article but this seemed to be the only realistic way of my character suffering with hallucinations. I did consider maybe having one of the characters being a drug user but I quickly debunked this idea as this could create quite a messy storyline.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/30/man-reunited-stranger-suicide-attempt-london-bridge
I obviously didn't want to just steal their story, so I decided to take inspiration from it and create my own original story.
I thought the idea of two characters meeting because of a suicide attempt was quite an original idea so I used this as the main narrative of my short film.
I then added ideas such as the other person not actually being real but just a hallucination of the character suffering with schizophrenia.
I actually wasn't going to take the idea of one of the characters having schizophrenia from the article but this seemed to be the only realistic way of my character suffering with hallucinations. I did consider maybe having one of the characters being a drug user but I quickly debunked this idea as this could create quite a messy storyline.
Thursday 22 September 2016
CONTEXTUAL STUDIES: Introduction to TV: Texts, contexts & culture (briefing)
Notes from lecture
1895 - the birth of cinema
The first film was made by the Lumière brothers.
Why is television important?
- accessible and immediate
- greater reach
What we will be studying:
- Explore film and TV through analysis of visual grammar, genre codes & conventions, critical theories etc - and how these shape our interpretation of the visual media (the contexts).
What we will be doing in Term 1 (8 sessions, weeks 2-6):
- mise-en-scene
- cinematography
- editing
- sound
- documentary
Presentation:
- 10th and 17th November
- 10 mins
- Select TV programme & analyse it for its use of mise-en-scene etc. Discuss artistic and/or technical qualities
Useful resources:
- Film Art - Bordwell & Thompson
- (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound)
What we will be doing in Term 1 (weeks 8-10)
- understanding genre
Studying 3 main genres:
- the sitcom (e.g. The Vodka Diaries)
- the soap opera (e.g. Eastenders)
- crime drama (e.g. The Bill)
"The essence of drama is conflict"
December 9th - 500 word formative assessment
Key critical theories:
- alienation
- classicism
- expressionism
- feminism / gender / race
- gaze theory
- ideology
- modernism & post-modernism
- realism
- semiotics
- surrealism
- the other
- the uncanny
- psychoanalysis
1895 - the birth of cinema
The first film was made by the Lumière brothers.
Why is television important?
- accessible and immediate
- greater reach
What we will be studying:
- Explore film and TV through analysis of visual grammar, genre codes & conventions, critical theories etc - and how these shape our interpretation of the visual media (the contexts).
What we will be doing in Term 1 (8 sessions, weeks 2-6):
- mise-en-scene
- cinematography
- editing
- sound
- documentary
Presentation:
- 10th and 17th November
- 10 mins
- Select TV programme & analyse it for its use of mise-en-scene etc. Discuss artistic and/or technical qualities
Useful resources:
- Film Art - Bordwell & Thompson
- (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound)
What we will be doing in Term 1 (weeks 8-10)
- understanding genre
Studying 3 main genres:
- the sitcom (e.g. The Vodka Diaries)
- the soap opera (e.g. Eastenders)
- crime drama (e.g. The Bill)
"The essence of drama is conflict"
December 9th - 500 word formative assessment
Key critical theories:
- alienation
- classicism
- expressionism
- feminism / gender / race
- gaze theory
- ideology
- modernism & post-modernism
- realism
- semiotics
- surrealism
- the other
- the uncanny
- psychoanalysis
Wednesday 21 September 2016
STORY-TELLING WORKSHOP: How The Workshops Affected My Ideas
How speed-pitching affected my idea
How my ideas have changed
- the party idea will not work as there seems to be no goal, conflict or change.
The initial idea: [2 characters meet at a halloween party (both characters planned to go with friends who then can't make it. Leads to the two main characters meeting.)]
- a potential goal could be: instead of their friends not being able to make it, their friends go missing and they have to find them.
- a potential conflict could be: they keep getting in each others' ways / they don't like each other but they need to use each other to find their friends.
- a potential change could be: they realise they need to work together to find their friends (the characters therefore become friends and begin to like each other because of this)
Developed idea:
2 groups of friends (1 group of boys & 1 group of girls) go to a halloween party. Whilst the 2 main characters are getting drinks from the drink table, the rest of the group vanishes. Despite getting on each others' nerves, the two have to work together in order to find their friends.
Opinion of idea:
I really don't like the idea, it doesn't feel strong enough and I feel like I will keep coming across problems with the idea. Therefore, I will stick with my other idea as I feel like the story has more strength and direction.
- the suicide attempt idea will probably work as it does have a goal and a conflict. There doesn't appear to be a massive change but I hope to develop that part of the story.
The initial idea: [2 characters meet on the pier as one stops the other from a suicide attempt.]
- the goal is: to save 1 of the main characters from a suicide attempt.
- the conflict is: the character's internal / emotional conflict and his mental condition.
- the potential change could be: the character's schizophrenia goes into remission meaning that he is temporarily better. You find out that the person they meet is actually a hallucination.
Developed idea:
A man rushes out of a psychological analysis after learning that he has schizophrenia. He goes to the pier and is ready to jump, however, a seemingly friendly stranger intervenes. The two bond, but the 'friendly' stranger starts to become manipulative / destructive. The character is undergoing therapy / treatment all through the short film. Eventually he is discharged from his psychologist with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in remission. The manipulative friend disappears as we find out that they were just a hallucination (positive symptom) of his schizophrenia.
Opinion of idea:
I like the idea as it feels like it has strength and direction. Having studied schizophrenia in depth, I can use my knowledge of this to add strength and depth to the story. As I like the idea, the writing / filming / making of the short film should be much smoother.
- helped me to think of a more concise pitch
- helped me to realise the pitch doesn't need to include the whole story, just enough to entice the audience and make them interested about the idea
How the short story workshop affected my idea
- helped me to realise I need to use the characters and their personalities/occupations etc to my advantage.
- need to create characters that can be put in any situation and be able to know how they'll react
How my ideas have changed
- the party idea will not work as there seems to be no goal, conflict or change.
The initial idea: [2 characters meet at a halloween party (both characters planned to go with friends who then can't make it. Leads to the two main characters meeting.)]
- a potential goal could be: instead of their friends not being able to make it, their friends go missing and they have to find them.
- a potential conflict could be: they keep getting in each others' ways / they don't like each other but they need to use each other to find their friends.
- a potential change could be: they realise they need to work together to find their friends (the characters therefore become friends and begin to like each other because of this)
Developed idea:
2 groups of friends (1 group of boys & 1 group of girls) go to a halloween party. Whilst the 2 main characters are getting drinks from the drink table, the rest of the group vanishes. Despite getting on each others' nerves, the two have to work together in order to find their friends.
Opinion of idea:
I really don't like the idea, it doesn't feel strong enough and I feel like I will keep coming across problems with the idea. Therefore, I will stick with my other idea as I feel like the story has more strength and direction.
- the suicide attempt idea will probably work as it does have a goal and a conflict. There doesn't appear to be a massive change but I hope to develop that part of the story.
The initial idea: [2 characters meet on the pier as one stops the other from a suicide attempt.]
- the goal is: to save 1 of the main characters from a suicide attempt.
- the conflict is: the character's internal / emotional conflict and his mental condition.
- the potential change could be: the character's schizophrenia goes into remission meaning that he is temporarily better. You find out that the person they meet is actually a hallucination.
Developed idea:
A man rushes out of a psychological analysis after learning that he has schizophrenia. He goes to the pier and is ready to jump, however, a seemingly friendly stranger intervenes. The two bond, but the 'friendly' stranger starts to become manipulative / destructive. The character is undergoing therapy / treatment all through the short film. Eventually he is discharged from his psychologist with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in remission. The manipulative friend disappears as we find out that they were just a hallucination (positive symptom) of his schizophrenia.
Opinion of idea:
I like the idea as it feels like it has strength and direction. Having studied schizophrenia in depth, I can use my knowledge of this to add strength and depth to the story. As I like the idea, the writing / filming / making of the short film should be much smoother.
STORY-TELLING UNIT: Story Telling Workshop (Part 2)
Short Story: Cellar Bar
Characters: Fitness trainer and political activist
Fitness trainer - (Tony) - His character consists of a muscular build with a wide chest. He is 6ft2, with dark short side and back hair style. His life style consists of eating, gym workouts and living the 'lad' culture. However Tony has a side to him that no one expects.
Political activist - (Sandra) - Her character consists of a slim physique, pale skin and light ginger hair. She isn't afraid to voice her own opinions especially when she is intimidated.
Location: Cellar (Cellar bar nightclub)
Story:
Sandra has just finished uni (studying politics) and has decided to come home to London. She keeps seeing Tony around in different places (i.e. the train station, town centre etc.) That night she goes out with friends as a back from uni night out. On the night out, however, one of Sandra's friends goes missing. Obviously being a night club, they don't panic (assuming she has just gone off with a guy). Later that night she sees Tony (just a random guy) with her missing friend's phone (it has a distinctive phone case). Panic sinks in. She approaches Tony from behind and grabs his wrist to uncover another item belonging to her friend, this time speckled in blood. He disappears into the crowd. More friends go missing throughout the night with their items appearing in different places (i.e. the bar, the toilet etc.) Ends with Sandra coming face to face with Tony.
...
Feedback from lesson:
- Use the characters and situation to your advantage. They're already unique characters and a story can be made from that rather than trying to create something too elaborate.
Characters: Fitness trainer and political activist
Fitness trainer - (Tony) - His character consists of a muscular build with a wide chest. He is 6ft2, with dark short side and back hair style. His life style consists of eating, gym workouts and living the 'lad' culture. However Tony has a side to him that no one expects.
Political activist - (Sandra) - Her character consists of a slim physique, pale skin and light ginger hair. She isn't afraid to voice her own opinions especially when she is intimidated.
Location: Cellar (Cellar bar nightclub)
Story:
Sandra has just finished uni (studying politics) and has decided to come home to London. She keeps seeing Tony around in different places (i.e. the train station, town centre etc.) That night she goes out with friends as a back from uni night out. On the night out, however, one of Sandra's friends goes missing. Obviously being a night club, they don't panic (assuming she has just gone off with a guy). Later that night she sees Tony (just a random guy) with her missing friend's phone (it has a distinctive phone case). Panic sinks in. She approaches Tony from behind and grabs his wrist to uncover another item belonging to her friend, this time speckled in blood. He disappears into the crowd. More friends go missing throughout the night with their items appearing in different places (i.e. the bar, the toilet etc.) Ends with Sandra coming face to face with Tony.
...
Feedback from lesson:
- Use the characters and situation to your advantage. They're already unique characters and a story can be made from that rather than trying to create something too elaborate.
STORY-TELLING UNIT: Story Telling Workshop (Part 1)
Wednesday morning consisted of a couple of brief talks from Laura Coull and Simon Welsford before moving onto story-telling workshops.
Laura's talk was extremely helpful as it provided information concerning work experience and placements that could enhance our learning experience as TV Production students. Other beneficial information such as how to fill out risk assessment forms and where to find more inside information about TV Production was provided.
I learnt of the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy which can be used to find more inside information about TV Production and how shows are made.
Simon's talk helped to cover some of the basics to do with story telling. Here are some of the things I learnt from the lesson:
Key story ingredients:
- character
- goal (something they haven't got / need to solve / need to find)
- conflict (equilibrium needs to be broken [then maybe rebalanced])
- change (the protagonist must be different in some way by the end)
The idea:
You should be able to answer the following questions about your idea:
- who is it about? what? when? where? why? how?
- is it dramatic? / can it be dramatised?
- is it unpredictable / original / unique?
- do I care about the character / story?
Story - the chronological series of events
Plot - how to tell the story
Theme - what the story is really about
The theme gives the script emotional depth
The building blocks of a script = character + structure
Characters:
- who are they?
where do they come from?
- beliefs?
- flaws?
- wants / needs?
- what are they risking?
After these brief talks we then proceeded to participate in story telling workshops. One aspect of these workshops was speed pitching. During this session we were given limited time to come up with 25 word pitches for 3 different scenarios using articles from newspapers we had brought in.
1. Big budget Hollywood thriller with big star
(News article used - Curtis Hanson: Oscar Winning writer and director dies aged 71)
Initial idea:
71 year old man (Robert DeNiro) gets murdered by government spies but leaves film for son to find.
-The idea was too vague and confusing so we decided to give more context and detail. We also decided against the man being murdered as the race to find the unfinished film would be thrilling enough so the murder felt unnecessary.
Final idea:
Director Robert DeNiro dies and leaves note for son about unfinished film (containing secret information). A race occurs between son and government to find film. (25 words)
2. British comedy for late night channel 4
(News article used - Jet 2 bans six 'drunken' passengers after trouble on a flight)
Initial idea:
A group of teenagers create a character who then moves in the next day.
- We liked the idea but again it lacked detail and also didn't feel like a late night channel 4 programme. To make it fit the scenario better we took inspiration from channel 4 shows such as The Inbetweeners and Glue and added things like alcohol to the mix.
Final idea:
Group of drunk students create character who then moves in the next day and has to be taught how to live in the real world. (25 words)
3. Low budget short film set in council estate
Initial idea:
Girl's mum meets a man who turns their life around. The pair get engaged but the man starts to pursue the girl.
- Again, we liked the idea but it just didn't feel right. Therefore we decided to switch the roles around a bit.
Final idea:
Girl's mum meets a man who turns their life around. The pair get engaged but the daughter starts to pursue the fiancé. (22 words)
Laura's talk was extremely helpful as it provided information concerning work experience and placements that could enhance our learning experience as TV Production students. Other beneficial information such as how to fill out risk assessment forms and where to find more inside information about TV Production was provided.
I learnt of the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy which can be used to find more inside information about TV Production and how shows are made.
Simon's talk helped to cover some of the basics to do with story telling. Here are some of the things I learnt from the lesson:
Key story ingredients:
- character
- goal (something they haven't got / need to solve / need to find)
- conflict (equilibrium needs to be broken [then maybe rebalanced])
- change (the protagonist must be different in some way by the end)
The idea:
You should be able to answer the following questions about your idea:
- who is it about? what? when? where? why? how?
- is it dramatic? / can it be dramatised?
- is it unpredictable / original / unique?
- do I care about the character / story?
Story - the chronological series of events
Plot - how to tell the story
Theme - what the story is really about
The theme gives the script emotional depth
The building blocks of a script = character + structure
Characters:
- who are they?
where do they come from?
- beliefs?
- flaws?
- wants / needs?
- what are they risking?
After these brief talks we then proceeded to participate in story telling workshops. One aspect of these workshops was speed pitching. During this session we were given limited time to come up with 25 word pitches for 3 different scenarios using articles from newspapers we had brought in.
1. Big budget Hollywood thriller with big star
(News article used - Curtis Hanson: Oscar Winning writer and director dies aged 71)
Initial idea:
71 year old man (Robert DeNiro) gets murdered by government spies but leaves film for son to find.
-The idea was too vague and confusing so we decided to give more context and detail. We also decided against the man being murdered as the race to find the unfinished film would be thrilling enough so the murder felt unnecessary.
Final idea:
Director Robert DeNiro dies and leaves note for son about unfinished film (containing secret information). A race occurs between son and government to find film. (25 words)
2. British comedy for late night channel 4
(News article used - Jet 2 bans six 'drunken' passengers after trouble on a flight)
Initial idea:
A group of teenagers create a character who then moves in the next day.
- We liked the idea but again it lacked detail and also didn't feel like a late night channel 4 programme. To make it fit the scenario better we took inspiration from channel 4 shows such as The Inbetweeners and Glue and added things like alcohol to the mix.
Final idea:
Group of drunk students create character who then moves in the next day and has to be taught how to live in the real world. (25 words)
3. Low budget short film set in council estate
Initial idea:
Girl's mum meets a man who turns their life around. The pair get engaged but the man starts to pursue the girl.
- Again, we liked the idea but it just didn't feel right. Therefore we decided to switch the roles around a bit.
Final idea:
Girl's mum meets a man who turns their life around. The pair get engaged but the daughter starts to pursue the fiancé. (22 words)
Monday 19 September 2016
STORY-TELLING UNIT: "The Meeting" Initial Ideas
Brief
Part 1
- title / idea from starting point "The Meeting"
- fiction (comedy, thriller or drama)
- 2 main characters meet, 1 main location
- 25 word pitch (Sep 30th)
- draft screenplay (Oct 26th) - properly formatted 10 page screenplay with title page. A4. Stapled in top left corner.
Part 2
- 2 min trailer or first 2 mins of screenplay
- plan shoot, cast, crew, locations, shot list, storyboard, production design, props and schedule
- screenplay returned with notes for rewriting
- final screenplay and video submitted
- (December 2nd 11:00 - 12:00 - Maidstone) - final 10 page screenplay, 2 min video as a quicktime file and updated R&D journal)
Research and development journal:
Contextual research:
- 3 short film dramas - review - how influenced own project? (Find on Youtube or UCA Library)
- One British TV drama - review and influences
- 2 TV screenwriters - key work, how they developed it and interest for you & project
- Research art of screenwriting
Project research:
- source material
- visual material (e.g. images)
Development:
- initial ideas and how these developed
- testing ideas
- 25 word pitch
- script and camera workshops
- script developments
Production notes:
- evidence of prep and planning
Project evaluation:
- what worked? what didn't? what did I learn? what could I develop?
Initial ideas:
- 2 characters meet at a halloween party (both characters planned to go with friends who then can't make it. Leads to the two main characters meeting.)
- 2 characters meet on the pier as one stops the other from a suicide attempt.
Part 1
- title / idea from starting point "The Meeting"
- fiction (comedy, thriller or drama)
- 2 main characters meet, 1 main location
- 25 word pitch (Sep 30th)
- draft screenplay (Oct 26th) - properly formatted 10 page screenplay with title page. A4. Stapled in top left corner.
Part 2
- 2 min trailer or first 2 mins of screenplay
- plan shoot, cast, crew, locations, shot list, storyboard, production design, props and schedule
- screenplay returned with notes for rewriting
- final screenplay and video submitted
- (December 2nd 11:00 - 12:00 - Maidstone) - final 10 page screenplay, 2 min video as a quicktime file and updated R&D journal)
Research and development journal:
Contextual research:
- 3 short film dramas - review - how influenced own project? (Find on Youtube or UCA Library)
- One British TV drama - review and influences
- 2 TV screenwriters - key work, how they developed it and interest for you & project
- Research art of screenwriting
Project research:
- source material
- visual material (e.g. images)
Development:
- initial ideas and how these developed
- testing ideas
- 25 word pitch
- script and camera workshops
- script developments
Production notes:
- evidence of prep and planning
Project evaluation:
- what worked? what didn't? what did I learn? what could I develop?
Initial ideas:
- 2 characters meet at a halloween party (both characters planned to go with friends who then can't make it. Leads to the two main characters meeting.)
- 2 characters meet on the pier as one stops the other from a suicide attempt.
Sunday 11 September 2016
UCA Summer Project
Summer project containing a few facts about me as an introduction to Television Production at the University for the Creative Arts.
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