Screenplay

Sophie and I were put in charge of writing the screen play, following the proforma (for guidance) that we were given. We found this a relatively easy task to complete... but whether it was effective and not awful was another question. We spent a good while changing some of the lines as it started off rather cheesy! I feel as though we put a lot of effort into the screen play, even though it is not that long, and it was worth it.

Here is a copy of the first page from the screen play:

 

We wanted the screen play to look professional, neat and tidy, so we completed it in typewriter font with even spaces between lines and the sides of the page.



Storyboarding

During the pre-production process we completed a few storyboards- to ensure that they were accurate. On these we drew a rough sketch of what we wanted the shot to look like, then underneath we wrote about what type of shot it was and how we were going to use depth, focus, framing and composition effectively to make the best product we could.

In it we used several different shots including an extreme close up at the beginning, followed by a tracking shot, a p.o.v., an over the shoulder and a master shot. It was important that we got a range of shots and especially a master shot so that we had all the footage we would need later on in editing. The master shot is really useful as when it comes to editing, if you don't have the footage needed, you can keep cutting back to it!

In our storyboard we also included any sounds/ music we may need in there, so that it would be easier to complete in the editing stages.

Treatment

After having had decided on a general narrative and genre, the next stage was to complete a treatment. We were given a proforma for this which allowed us to complete it in the right way. In the film treatment we had to include the following:

• Film Title
• Production team name
• Film duration
• Roles within the team
• Actors and characters
• Costumes
• Synopsis
• Location
• Props
• Lighting
• Sound

Some of these categories we were able to complete immediately however others, such as, lighting sound and logistics couldn't be filled in until later.

Here is what the document looked like:

 

We completed this as a team and all participated to ensure that it was correct, as tthis would make it easier to use later on. 

Brain storming ideas for Genre and film ideas

Ideas, ideas, ideas...

The first thing we decided needed to be completed as a team was to decide upon a genre and film idea, that we would base our opening upon. We completed this using the chalkboard wall at the back of the classroom. We then made 4 titles- Horror, Thriller, Romance and Action. These were the genres that we agreed would be easiest to complete, as Sci-fi would be expensive and we couldn't do comedy as it is hard to come up with hilarious content, which the audience would appreciate and enjoy.

Under each of our four titles we listed anything that fitted with the genre. Some of us already had ideas for parts of the narrative and so we listed these as well. Soon we ruled out Romance and Action- as Action would require fast driving (none of us have a licence) or running and Romance is soppy and hard to pull off. So we were left with Horror and Thriller!

Organ trafficking
 This was listed under the horror category and we felt that by using this we would also be making awareness of something that could happen in reality. Also this is an idea that isn't often displayed in many films as it is quite risky.

We then decide that we would have a girl (stereotypical victim- conforming to conventions) captured by a psycho who would start cutting her up and sell her organs on the black market. This idea was then developed into a dream so that she had almost pre-empted what was going to happen. Our only worry was... pulling it off effectively!