Script Changes

Script changes

When filming, we came to the conclusion it was easier to use the script as guidelines than strict rules. 

We came up with all the dialogue when on set which made the filming much quicker as we weren't restricted by what we had to follow. The one fixed thing, however, was the monologue which is going to be played over the travelling scenes. We compromised the script so the filming could expand and evolve without being restricted. It cut time and also gave us more freedom for what we wanted to do.

As of now, the script is only exists due to the script and the rest is pretty much obsolete now. 

‘Untitled’

By Mallard Media

A bleak city landscape. The camera is following a man walking through the grey streets. He is wearing warm clothing indicating winter. Camera pulls focus in and out changing focus from him and the scenery around.

John(aside)-: I always wanted to be a police detective. I don’t know why.

Cut to next shot. Close-up match on action of Jon brushing past a building.

John(aside)-: Maybe it was the TV shows. The good cop always catching the bad guy and he somehow manages to rescue everyone at the end. Cool story.

                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker tinkering.

Cut back to John. Low angle shot like the camera is behind a car following the approach of John.

John(aside)-: No. It was a nice thought, though. Maybe one day I’ll get given a case where the killer is some idiot with a clear motive, prints at the scene, the works.

                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker’s mouth area. He slowly smiles.

                Cut to shot of traffic with muffled car noises allowing the monologue to be heard.

John(aside)-: That would be nice before I retire. That old cliché.

Shot of the back of John. He is looking down at traffic on an overpass. The sound of wind and traffic is muffled.

John(aside)-: Long time until that, unfortunately.

                Cut to two-shot. Another person approaches. It is John’s partner, Pedro La Guerta.

Pedro-: John?

John-: Pedro. What d’you need?

Pedro-: You at the station. Someone’s there claiming that they’ve set up a bomb in the city. They’re asking to speak to you personally.

                Close up of John as he replies.

John-: And here I thought that I could have the morning off.

Cut to main titles.

The red highlighted portions show the obsolete sections as the dialogue was revised.

The green highlighted portion shows the cut cues rather than strict instructions so these are open to change. 

Costumes & Props

Costumes & Props

Costume

Costume: Costumes are the distinctive style of dress/outfits which usually adjure to a certain genre or . A costume can be a particular style of clothing worn to portray the wearer as a character or type of character other than their regular persona at a social event such as a masquerade, a fancy dress party or in a theatre performance.

Props

Props: A property, commonly shortened to prop (plural: props), is an object used on stage or on screen by actors/actresses during a performance or screen production In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes and electrical equipment. Consumable food items appearing in the production are also considered properties.

Costume ideas for our opening scene:

Costume for the Alchemist (Keenan - Myself)

• Black Cloak
• Black Trousers
• Black Shoes
• White T-shirt

Props for the Alchemist 

• Vials
• Jars
• Cat
• Herbs
• Pestle Mortar
• Rocks
• Jewels 
• Skull
• Bunsen Burners/Fire
• Water
• Books

Costume for the John (Harry) & Pedro (Kieran)

• Dark coloured jacket
• Jeans
• White v-neck 
• Black boots

Group Opening Film Idea

Group Opening Film Ideas

Group Members

Keenan Myers (Me)

Harry Garwood

Kieran Cudbertson

#1 Alchemy (My Idea)

Inspired by American Horror Story: Coven, Harry Potter & The Originals. A gritty fantasy/supernatual/horror genre opening. Our first group idea is to have a large table with a variety of Alchemy equipment laid out on the table. The theme of the film/opening is to have a magical/supernatural flare to it. As a result, the non-digetic sound will be somewhat "mystical" but at the same time have an air of tension within the music. We will not use many special effects - This is is because the idea of the film is to make the magic element seem more realistic & dark as if magic existed in real life. So, in order to capture the "realistic" essence of the "magic" in the opening; a variety of symbolic codes that are commonly associated with magic will be present in the shots (Particularly objects that are known to be used in Alchemy). A variety of pan zoom/match on action shots will take place on specific equipment on the table like potion vials, herbs, jars, pestle mortars, etc. The opening will use fill light to accentuate the objects of the table & to make the opening appear darker than other use of lighting to help tie in with the horror aspect. As the match on action shots take place, the opening credits will display in the bottom of the shot & will change according to the change of shot & item. The final shot will depict a long-shot camera angle with the protagonist (Me) dressed in a warlock-like attire. The film Title will then display.

#2 Detective (Harry's Idea)

Inspired by Gotham & Luthor. A detective opening genre. Following a protagonist (Harry) who is investigating a crime taken place in the local area. The protagonist will become the focal point of the scene with a non-diegetic monologue; giving the audience some form of context to the overall plot line of the film.

#3 Horror House (Kieran's Idea)

Inspired by The Office & Insideous. A horror/documentary opening genre. Three protagonists (Me, Harry & Kieran) are being "interviewed" about our experiences in a haunted house. 

Storyboard for final film Idea:

CakeBox Production Logo (Draft)

Production Logo

A production logo is an image or small piece of writing that is  unique to a production company. A production logo is usually created to help brand a production company for easy recognition amongst competitors. It is usually inspired by a certain theme that is associated with the production name. For example, Disney has a huge influence of magical theme, thus the logo has a magical feel to it.

Our Logo: CakeBox Prouctions (Draft)

This is our logo for our productions: "CakeBox Productions." The theme of our logo is inspired by a battenberg cake hence the colour scheme of yellow & pink boxes.The texture of the logo resembles that of a sponge cake due to the name of the production company. Instead of using a rounded squared, we opted for a ridged square shape to make it seem more like a box. As a result, playing on the name of our production company: "CakeBox." The colour scheme of our logo not only reflex the aesthetics of a battenberg cake, but it also gives off subliminal, psychological effects on the viewer. Research into the colour "yellow" shows that it is a colour that has a cheerful, warming effect on the brain. Study into the colour "pink" presents that it has a calming effect on a person's psyche. The combination of these colours used for our logo makes it seem inviting to the audience.

Research

Research

Upon deciding on our group idea, we carried out both qualitative & quantitative research. This is because we were able to refine our ideas to cater to our target audience. We then constructed the data in the form of a pie chart.

Key:

Highlighted Green - Popular Data

Highlighted Red - Not as Popular Data

Quantitative:

Qualitative 

We asked 3 people questions that could influence our final product.

Questions

What is your preferred genre & why?

Person 1: My favourite is crime genre because I enjoy attempting to solve the crime as the show progresses.

Peson 2: I really like thriller as I enjoy non stop action as it is entertaining.

Person 3: I really enjoy crime genre since I like the lead up to the reveal of the villain.

Due to this information, we decided to make our media project based on the crime genre.



What makes a good opening to a film of the crime genre?

Person 1: I like slow build ups. Then I like there to be a cliff hanger as it makes me want to watch more.

Person 2: I think that a good opening effectively establishes the main protagonist. I like it when there is clear elements of foreshadowing to showcase the villain like when bad things happen and the face is never revealed - only things like hands, feet, etc.

Person 3:  I like when the villain plays a large role with clear elements of screen time. I like having a visual insight as to what he/she is up to but still retaining the mystery aspect of it all.  

From this research, we decided to show elements of antagonist in the opening whilst still retaining his identity. Perhaps have a monologue from the protagonist to give a bit of his back-story to the audience (like the movie "Snatch").

Do you prefer a solo cop, crime fighting partners or a whole team of cops?

Person 1: I like to see the dynamic of a team and see how they tackle a crime. However, the character development is usually lacking unless it is series based like CSI or Criminal Minds.

Person 2: I'm more into the partner in crime choice. I'm a huge fan of DC Comics & I love seeing the bond between characters like Batman & Robin, or Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Bullock.

Person 3: I prefer partners as usually a strong amount of trust is required to solve a case. I think it's interesting to see just how much they become reliant on one another & at what lengths they'll go to ensure both the safety of each other whilst solving the case.


As a result, we'll make the protagonists of the production be two crime fighting partners. We'll take inspiration form Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Bullock from the hit crime show "Gotham."

Audience Research

Audience Research

Based on this list of most successful movies to date, a pattern is clear. All these movies on the list are larger than life and far from reality. Even the top highest grossing movie is set on a distant planet followed by a romanticised version of the Titanic story. 
3 of the top 5 grossing movies are big budget science fiction, action or fantasy films showing a popular modern trend.

The list also shows that the film does not have to be abundant in animated effects (such as Avatatar) to be successful for example: The Dark Knight.

Connotative & Denotative

Connotative & Denotative 

Connotative - Connotative is when an object or action has a deeper meaning. Usually determined by the symbolism or connotations within a shot.

Denonative - Denonative is when it is obvious what the contextual meaning is of a shot.

Connotative & Denonative analysis of AHS: Coven Promo Poster:

Denonative: Three women with a white , magic snake slivering out of all their mouths. The close-up shot is only showing the lower half of the face - making the main focus being the snake & the three mouths. Two women are of Caucasian ethinicity are either side of the one woman of black ethinicity. As a result, makes the black woman appear as the main focus.

Connotative: White snake represents a weaker enemy (i.e. the battle between the voodoos, witches & witch hunters), females' glossy red lips symbolise seduction, black ethnicity of the woman could depict the voodoo clan & the complication of racial topics in New Orleans, Because the snake is slithering from each persons' mouth it could be to show that all of the women are somehow linked (& in the case the women are used to portray the factions within Coven), snakes also have connotations of magic, temptation & the devil; therefore applying a biblical reference to the poster as many people oppress witchcraft as it can be considered to be unholy because Satan took the form of a snake when he tricked Eve into eating the apple; also defying the act of god.