Planning my Production: Storyboard and Script

Here is a word diagram that I created on Wordle to illustrate my plot and storyboard ideas for our film PULSE.

Script - No Dialogue 

For our Short Film production, Lucy and I have decided that we do not want to feature any planned dialogue. This is because we believe that the spontaneous speech that will feature in the film will be a true representation of real life. Also, throughout the film the reccuring sound of heavy breathing will feature and the lack of dialogue will emphasise the relevance of this diagetic sound. Therefore, any dialogue that features within the film shall be improvised and create an original and spontaneous effect.

As said above, the only diagetic sound that shall feature shall be the expressions and sighs of the main character when she is help captive. Also, the sound of footsteps and movement of the stalker shall be heard to add to the eerie and uncomfortable atmosphere.


Storyboard


Shown below is our storyboard so far. It is a rough draft of what we would like to achieve to give us guidance in creating our shots and is not completed.

Please see the problems with filming post to see how we got on using this storyboard as a template for our short film.

Planning my Production: Actors and Props

Actors 

Lucy and I knew it was necessary to find the right actor for the right role. We had clearly established in our minds what kind of characters we wanted to create. The main character was to be a sweet, vulnerable teenager that leads a typically average teenage life.

The stalker that we wanted to create would be inconspicuous, quite a quiet and mysterious character. There would be no sense of urgency just a calculated and distanced approach to stalking the girl.

After we had decided upon the characters we wanted to create, Lucy and I considered the actors and actresses available. We ruled out some great actors such as Sarah Mauremootoo (Seen in the practice shots post) as they didn't quite fit the persona we wanted to create.

We finally decided to ask Kieran Forbes and Miranda Burns (see photograph below) as we knew they had the characteristics and ability to play the necessary parts.

Props

These are the props that Lucy and I shall be using in the production of our Short Film PULSE. They all help to create the eerie atmosphere and are examples of iconic equipment that a stalker or killer may have. Some of them may be featured in quick flashes throughout the film such as the saws and face mask whilst others we shall use in the construction of the film for example the clapper-board and paint.

Planning my Production: Title/Name of Short Film

After considering a variety of names for the title of our film, I came up with the name PULSE. Lucy and I immediately agreed that the name was short and effective and very fitting to the story line. The title will represent the faster pulse rate of the girl and her terrified emotions whilst she has been kidnapped.

Below are some designs I have experimented with:

Here are my favourite designs:

Although these designs are quite effectve, after deliberating with my partner we decided it would be a unique idea to create the title's ident ourselves. It will show originality and represent the disturbing atmosphere that we want our film to portray, because we will have complete control over its design.

Below are some initial ideas that we could develop upon.

Here is are practice shots of our PULSE Title:

We thought that perhaps at the beginning of the sequence the title could appear accompanied by either the thudding sound of a pulse or a heartbeat. Below is the heartbeat monitor sound that we decided to use.

Footage of Scene

After watching our footage we thought that this type of shot would work effectively. So long as we positioned the writing and candles correctly the reflection created could be quite atmospheric. The music we chose to accompany the scene worked well and helped to create an eerie atmosphere. The diagetic sound of a pulse, heart beat monitor coincided with not only the name of the film but also the action in the shot as the candles are blown out when the monitor sound changes signifying that the pulse has stopped. Below is the final shot that we chose.

This is the original footage of our chosen shot and when editing it as part of the film we shall cut 6 seconds off the start and 5 seconds off the end.

Planning my Production: Set Ideas

Main narrative set ideas


I have imported some pictures below of our ideas for our main narrative locations. The mise-en-scene of the shots in this location will indicate a sense of normality and will initially lure our audience into a false sense of security.

Supportive narrative set ideas


Here are some images of the location where the second narrative shall be filmed - in my garage at home. In contrast to the locations featured above, this one, claustrophobic and isolated location of a garage is not only iconic of kidnaps but also the mise-en-scene will aid the spooky and eerie atmosphere as you can see by the images below.

Planning my Production: Synopsis of Narrative

Shown below is the images of the planning stages that Lucy and I conducted to develop our production ideas.

They range from our initial ideas, where we still hadn't firmly decided on our genre being horror.

To developed ideas where we had a greater understanding of what we wanted to achieve.

To more detailed development where we started to map out and develop our storyboard.

Synopsis

For our coursework piece we have decided to create a parallel narrative whereby the main narrative of the story follows an ordinary day in the life of a teenage girl, however it gradually reveals that she is being stalked by an unknown person. This is quite a complex narrative that follows her day to day activities and during it the film shall cut to her current situation. Where she is tied up in an unknown room - she has been kidnapped. The main narrative will build up to the point she was kidnapped but the twist shall be in the cliffhanger at the end.


Aspects of complex narratives:

Below is a list of common features in complex narratives that Lucy and I may wish to include.

• Repetition
• Flashbacks
• different character' point of view
• different time frames
• flash forwards
• multiple plot lines converging at the end
• pre-figuring of events that are yet to occur
• backwards story telling, where the outcome is shown first and explained through the plot

Why create a parallel narrative?
As well as providing a deeper and more interesting sequence of events, narrative structure can position the reader to think and feel a wider range of responses by providing differing views or perspectives in experiencing and viewing the action. These maintain or increase the interest and engages the audience.



Claude Levi Strauss -  Narrative Theory
Now that Lucy and I have decided to create a parallel narrative, we shall be adhering to Strauss' narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. What Strauss meant by this is that the binary oppositions are sets of opposite values. For example, in our film the two binary opposites shall be 'EVIL' and 'GOOD'. Strauss was not interested in the order of events in the plot of the film and instead focused the deeper arrangements with regard to the themes.

Short Film or Trailer?

After conducting research into both Short Films and Trailers, I have decided that for my coursework piece I would like to produce a short film. This is because, although trailers are short and exciting, I think that I would like my production to reveal a narrative rather than hint at it.

For my coursework production piece, I shall be working with a classmate of mine called Lucy Matthews. I believe that we can work well together as our strengths are within the different areas of production and we both have a similar vision for what we would like the final outcome to be.

Below are two animations that Lucy and I created as a preliminary task to creating our film. This gave us an insight into the aspects of film creation that we would later have to consider for our short film such as props, plot, location, credits etc.

The Doll's House

Melting Snowman

Based upon the research that I have already carried out on short films, I think that the genre we would like convey is horror. This is is a genre that both Lucy and I enjoy and agree upon. Whereas we have different opinions about what makes a film a comedy or a documentary.

I will continue to conduct more research into short films that fall within the genre of horror in order to gain greater knowledge about the conventions present and what methods are effective, so that I can consider adopting them when creating my film.

Research into Horror Short Films: Scene 26

Link to Short Film:

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004t6pg 

The variety of the use of camera shots and angles are significant in this film. This is because there is no dialogue as diagetic sound and so the various shots keep the audience engaged with the film. I now know that  if I was to not use any dialogue in my film, I would need either a variety of camera shots or edits to entice the audience. 

Research into Trailers: Apollo 18

Link to the Trailer:

All the frames above that feature in the trailer are examples of extreme long shots. They represent the large size and emptiness of space whilst drawing the audiences attention to the rocket and/or text. The indent of information suggests that the film is a documentary and adds background information to the apparently 'factual' film.

All of the shot frames above taken from the trailer show the astronauts in a variety of ways. The image on the far left is from a camera filming the inside of the rocket and suggests a sense of normality. Similar to this the image next to it demonstrates an iconic pose of reaching the moon and showing pride in a nationality. However, the third frame of the left shows that the camera technique has altered to create a hazy 'broken' camera effect. This indicates a change in situation and almost hints at the possible loss of communication with Earth. Finally, the frame on the far right shows a shadow of an astronaut, this clearly suggests to the audience the vulnerability of the astronauts on the moon and how isolated they are. 

Research into Trailers: Final Destination 5

Link to the trailer:

Trailer deconstruction