Planning - Script - Second Draft

FADE IN: 

INT. DARK ROOM - NIGHT 

A lamp flashes on and reveals a man (SEAN SAUNDERS) slouching in a chair on one side of a table. The lamp shines directly into his face to reveal bruising and blood coming from his mouth. He is handcuffed to the chair. At the other end of the table is a second man (DR. FINSTER). His face is hidden beneath shadows.

DR. FINSTER

Is he dead? 

SEAN SAUNDERS nods slowly. 

DR. FINSTER bites off a pen lid from his pen and ticks a sheet of paper. As he removes the lid from his mouth he grins. 

DR. FINSTER

Your father would be proud.

SEAN SAUNDERS raises his head. His voice is raised. He leans forward in his chair. 

SEAN SAUNDERS

You don't speak to my father like that, I thought we had a deal. 

DR. FINSTER chuckles gently. He pauses. He pulls out a picture from his blazer pocket and slides it across the table. His silver watch gleams in the light from the lamp. 

DR. FINSTER 

I need you to do one more thing. 

SEAN SAUNDERS glances at the picture. He looks us and shakes his head slowly. DR FINSTER smiles gently. He mutters under his breath. 

DR. FINSTER

Pity. 

DR FINSTER reaches over to the lamp in the center of the table. He flicks the switch. 

CUT TO: 

EXT. GRAVE YARD - NIGHT

DANIEL SEYMOUR is taking a picture of a grave stone. His camera flashes. 

DANIEL SEYMOUR 

You know what I think about this guy, Tinsey?

DANIEL SEYMOUR looks at the screen on his camera at the picture he took. He is wearing a silver watch. 

Planning - Characterisation vs. Character

Creating a complex and diverse character is essential in the success of any film. There are two important aspects:

Characterisation: This refers to how the character behaves externally.
E.g:

• What they wear
• How they talk
• Do they have a twitch? etc

All of these little characterisations can contribute to the character's perseption.

Character: This refers to the character's internal bahaviour. Such as their true beliefs and opinions and how they would act in pressurised situations.

This is outlined in Robert Mckee's book 'Story' as he explains that Characterisation is "the sum of all observable qualities of a human being". He also goes on to say that "TRUE CHARACTER is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure the deeper the reveation the truer the choice to the character's essential nature."

Therefore within my Character design I need to concentrate on the "TRUE CHARACTER" which allows my film to be more sophisticated rather than just the Characterisations.

Another thing which Robert Mckee outlined in his book was the "Character Arc". This describes how the character's perception is changed through the revelation of the person's "TRUE CHARACTER". For example in 'The Vedrdict' protagonist Frank Galvin appears as a Boston attorney dressed in a three-piece suit. Unfairly handsome. These characterisations imply he's an upper-class/well off businesses man. However throughout the screenplay the characterisations are peeled back to reveal a corrupt bankrupt self-destructive irretrievable drunk who hasn't won a case in years. The character has not changed it is just how the film has developed out understandiong of him through his actions that has allowed us to see further into his character.

Planning - Audience Profile

In order to fully grasp my target audience, I am going to introduce my typical film viewer:
His name is Jason Scott, 19 and a student who has recently gone off to university to study Geography. He now lives in a city, with a cinema down the road to his apartment. He's single, and enjoys going out with his friends on nights out to bars and clubs etc. He does like to follow the crowd but also has a taste for more specialised films. He played a lot of sport at high school but has quite a shy personality. His last girlfriend was 3 years ago when he was 16. Jason currently works at a restaurant as a waiter, and earns £4.22 per hour which he spends the majority of on running his car. Because he is a student he has had to cut back on spending, however likes to treat himself to a night out with his friends to watch a movie. Sometimes he may go by himself to watch a particular genre of movie.

I feel this character would suit my film because he fits nicely into the Mainstream Plus group. He enjoys Mainstream movies, but likes to venture into specialised films. Because he is a student who enjoys a night out, I feel he would search for something more than the mainstream blockbusters that are out there.

Planning - Target Audience

It is very important to establish your film's target audience before you begin the movie-making process. This allows you to specify who you film is aimed at, and therefore produce a film which that group of people would enjoy, and pay to watch.
It is important to know that there are four main categories of film fans:

1) Mainstream only
These people rarely venture off the Hollywood blockbuster films. They're very unlikely to seek any foreign/multicultural films. Films of which would attract this group of people include:

These films experience endless advertisements and usually have big budgets.

2) Mainstream Plus
This is the second section of film fans. These people are principally looking for 'good' films, despite the genre. They will attend the cinema as regularly as once a month, and will enjoy a mainstream film every now and then. They like to dip into specialised films, as well as mainstream.
This is the sort of group I will be aiming my film towards. It is important to understand why these people enjoy these sort of films, so that I can achieve the most out of these film fans. 

3) Aficionado
These people are more likely to venture into specialised films. They like to portray themselves as more discerning then other film-goers, even to the extent of calling themselves 'anti-Hollywood'. They do, however, still predominantly see mainstream American films. These people take regular trips to the cinema, and make more of an effort to seek out specialised films.

4) Buff
This group are 'film fanatics'. They have their identity strongly bound up in film. They make strips out especially to go to the cinema and go more than once to see the same film. They express a strong liking for films which do not fit neatly into any genre. They will, however, see mainstream films for different reasons, e.g. to appreciate special effects.

Appreciating your target audience is one of the most important things to factor into your film making process. It can determine the success or failure of your film, which is why analysing it like this is crucial.

My film be targeted towards the mainstream plus audience. It will be targeted at people who enjoy specialised films, however, are fans of the Hollywood blockbusters. 

In terms of age, I believe that I will be aiming towards the older-teen up to middle-age since the specialised stance which I am taking has proved, in the past, to be quite attractive to this range of film-goers. In addition, a large majority of these film-goers will fall into the mainstream-plus category, therefore also making them suited towards my film.

Planning - Storyboard

This is the storyboard for my two minute opening film. In it I have included detailed sketches of what I want within my shots, as well as some director's notes as to camera movement and dialogue. I have also shaded in some of the shots in which the lighting will play a major part.

Planning - Camera movement

I have recently been looking at how to get the best out of my camera through camera movement. Here is a short video outlining the key aspects which i have been looking at:

Planning - Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is everything that is seen in a shot. It takes into consideration 5 different elements:

• Setting and props
• This includes all of the objects seen in the shot. Such as furniture, pictures on the wall, etc. It also takes into account the setting which the scene was taken in. This is used brilliantly in Psycho during this scene between Marion and Norman in his parlour, as the birds in the background are used to great effect.

Another example, if it was taken in a desert - such as 'Wild West' movies - it becomes almost another character.

• Costume, hair and make up
•  This is important as it is much more character-specific. It not only tells us an incredible amount about the character, but it also tells us about the mood of the character which could be influential to the story. For example, if a character was to wear a black jacket, it could connote mystery with a sort of noir-ish effect. Whereas if a character was to wear red lipstick, it could connote passion and danger.

• Facial expressions and body language
• This is more down to the actor's performance. It provides an insight into the the character and how they're feeling - a lot like the costume aspect of mise-en-scene.

• Lighting and colour
• This aspect looks at how the lighting and colour effect the way in which the scene is represented. For example, if the scene has very Low Key lighting, the film's feel will to contrasting to that which uses very High Key lighting. These are two contrasting images, one with low key lighting and the other with high key lighting.





• Positioning of character/objects
• Again, this aspect of mise-en-scene is important. It can reflect the a lot of things about a character, such as how they're feeling. The rule of thirds is a great example of character/ object positionimg.