Stills from the two person conversation

Directors report

When filming I believe that the crew worked very well they were thorough and made sure to get to work right from the moment they arrived. In contrast the morning was a little slow due to the fact lighting hadn’t been brought back to the studios along with extension leads. However as a team we had to solve the issue and work with what lighting we had and make sure we were close enough to allow the lighting to reach without causing trip hazards. Once that issue was rectified we dove straight shooting. The crew were very easy to work with and made sure to create the exact look and feel I wanted for the film, in contrast to this we did have to lose some shot due to time constraints, and sound problems from outside. However as a team we worked around this, and I decided to lose a few shots to favour stranger better sound quality shots over a variety. When filming many of the lines in the script are uttered low which made an issue for the sound to capture the words at a good quality, also the levels were dropping very low and would have been noticeable in the edit. In contrast I had already chosen close up shots for the low uttered words which made the capture of the lines much easier. In contrast due to the room used there were lots of echoes which meant there were a few retakes and more time had to be spent positioning the boom to capture a clear sound. However I was happy with the overall work of the group which was Kimberly, Liam, and Emily some of my shots didn’t turn out like I wanted, my choice of shots wasn’t the best, and a lot of the shots had the wrong focus points and sometimes not straight. 

Two person conversation Paperwork

Character Biographies

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Note: Short, prose description of the background and personality of major characters.  Provide a visual sense of character.  Give a sense of dramatic potential. Character Biographies: Allison’s Swart is a 21 year old, beautiful brunet with brown eyes, and 5’2. She had a great upbringing, parents who loved her beyond means, and a stable home environment. She was always a perfect child, she loved everyone, and always wanted to work as a vet and save the lives of animals. However all of this took a horrible turn when Allison was 13 her older sister was abducted, not long after that her parents divorced and her home life felt anything but warm. No longer than a year later when Allison couldn’t see any light in her life her sister was found and brought home although she was not herself she was destroyed a shell of the girl she once was. This broke Allison’s heart. She did everything she could to help her sister Amy, and he strong for the both of them, but Amy couldn’t take living any longer she took her own life 3 months later.  Allison had nothing else, she felt alone and her kind and caring nature soon became cold and calculating. The day her sister died she became obsessed with saving others, making sure no one went through what her family had and how Amy had suffered. Allison felt nothing apart from her need for vengeance. To outsiders Allison seems like an obsessive saviour even a little caring due to her need to save the lives of innocents and bring criminals to the justice they deserve.  Allison had everything planned her life set but the abduction case she is now working will test her ability and her sanity. Cameron Hale is a 24 year old brunet, dark eyes, and 5’10. His childhood was never good his parents were cruel, his parents were either drunk or on drugs. Cameron once had a sister but once she could she left, she left Cameron behind with his abusive parents. Cameron had never cared for anyone and never would, he didn’t know how to feel empathy, his ability to love or feel left on his 8th birthday when his sister left him behind. Cameron at the age of 10 moved to the streets where he felt was his only chance at survival. He sole and almost anything to survive, those years on the streets gave him a few months of jail time. There one of the officers took pity on him and offered to help him get on his feet. He was put through school, he got his degree in computer science. At the age of 21 he was working on a project for a client at a law officer and that’s when everything changed for him, he saw his sister for the first time in years, she had no idea who he was and that was what pushed him over the edge she was his first victim. From that moment on he kidnapped and killed girls that looked like his sister at the age she was when she first left him. He had killed 5 people including his sister before the police started questioning him.

Continuity

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Production Title- Dark in Death Date 29/02/16    Continuity Director – Rhianwen Davies Producer Scene – 1    Day/Time Script Controller/Supervisor  Allison places the paper folder to her left. Hair behind head.  Cam has both hands under chin then places down at the same time.  Allison keeps both hands in front of her clenched.  Picture moves down the table slightly to the left side. Picture is pushed back.  Cam sits up places both hands on the table bangs them down before leaving. Notes Picture when moved isn’t in the same place in the same in the master shot and in the over the shoulder.

Directors Statement of Intent

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Note: Themes you wish to explore.  Camera style.  Acting.  Production design, including costume.  music.  Convey to reader how the finished film will look/sound. Include references from art, photography etc. and comparisons to similar films that inspire you.  Approximately 500 words. DSI: I would like to explore when shooting to try and shoot less of the woman investigating and more of Cam the criminals, so it feels like it his story and not hers. Originally when I wrote the script it is Allison’s story and how she isn’t able to solve a case that she so desperately needs to. However since writing the script I have thought about how it might look, and how it would change the feel of the film if it was about Cam. I want to use steady camera throughout the whole piece, with lots of close-ups of Cameron just to experiment with the idea that it’s his story. I also want to take equal of Allison’s character just so I have a choice when I come to the edit who I finally decide the story is about.  I wanted Allison’s character to be reserved even seem kind, but very unemotional in her facial expressions to portray her past. I also want her character to progress throughout the film starting with calm and collected and slowly losing her patience more and more with Cam’s arrogance. I want Cam’s character to be arrogant, with an element of humour as if he doesn’t care at all about any of it and isn’t taking it seriously because he knows he is going to be fine. I want a table in the middle of the room with a spot light just to give the feel of an investigation room. I want a long table showing the distance between the both of them, this will also show how different they are character wise also, because when we do the two shot their body language and how they hold themselves can be seen in this. I want Allison to dress smart, and her hair and makeup to be simple and professional. I want Cam to be in a t-shirt and jeans. I very much want this to follow the style of tv shows such as criminal minds and NCIS  with a still camera, and following the same rules such as side shots, over the shoulder, close ups. I also wanted to follow the same themes as Criminal Minds where their criminals tend to be intelligent, and very often when questioned don’t believe they will get caught. The short film will have sounds such as, breathing, footsteps, and movements that the characters make, however I font want any music. With my close ups I want them to be tight cutting off some of the head I want to do this to make it seem more personal, this also allows us to see the characters emotions much better.

Pitch/Synopsis

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Note: Very short 2-3 sentence 50-word description.  Should hook the intended audience.  No excessive detail.  Tone of writing can reflect tone of film.  Economy of written word is paramount.  Regard as a sales document for your idea. Pitch: Dark in death Small town detective Allison Swart, has her dream job that she worked so hard for. But when a kidnapping case hits too close to home, Allison’s history of horror and violence threatens her ability to save the life of an innocent. Synopsis: Small town detective Allison Swart, has her dream job that she worked so hard for. But when a kidnapping case hits too close to home, Allison’s history of horror and violence threatens her ability to save the life of an innocent. Allison must work fast to discover all the details before her and Lara are both out of time.

Research Portfolio

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Note:  Always have introduction at the start that gives your research intent – 500 words. Record of Research: books, journals, magazines, photographs, the web.  Always annotate and index the material.  Every HoD will generate specific research relevant to their department. Research: When I decided I wanted to do a two person script around a crime I then decided to conduct some research into different crimes such as abductions murder investigations, and ransomed kidnapping.  However while looking at this research I decided to then look into abductions and decided to base my story around this. Visual research I conducted was of Criminal minds the TV show I liked how their killers or criminals were confident they would walk away even when the view and the officers know it them.  I decided to use this element in my two person conversation because I thought it would be a little different from the usual interrogation. I recently read closer than you think by Karen Rose which gave me a great deal of insight into a missing person’s crime especially a girl which is what I wanted to do with my story. This also gave me a great starting point when I came to writing my script. This book also helped me when I thought about writing a characters bio because I needed to create a character with a realistic past and I think Karen Rose’s book did this very well, and made her characters realistic and understandable which is what I needed when I started thinking about my characters.  Another book that helped me was The writers Dig By: James Scott Bell where he explains the best way to write a thriller. He stated that there are 5 C’s to writing a great crime thriller which are Complex characterisation, confrontation, careening, coronary and communication. From this I then researched into the 5 C’s and what they all mean before beginning with my characters. Once I had researched into story and possible plots I then researched films and tv shows to help tell my story through visuals. I conducted research into shots used in interrogation rooms and found that over the shoulder and side shots were very common and also effective therefore I wanted to put these shots into my own film. I also knew I wanted to use close up therefore I searched types of close ups and tried to discover which one I thought would have suited my idea. I also did some research through reading the online newspaper searching for crimes that could inspire me, when I decided that abduction was going to be a big part I found that the new York times had a page dedicated to specific crimes such as kidnapping with loads of articles of different types of abductions. One that inspired me was an abduction that happened in July 2014 where a European was taken for ransom, and the government were paying these ransoms under the radar for years. However very interesting and unique it wouldn’t have fit into the time frame given for the film although it was a great stepping stone. I then did some research into psychology mainly in children, I wanted to understand how a specific upbringing or childhood can shape a person and change them. I discovered that it is crucial for children to have a loving environment where all their needs are taken care, otherwise it’s too late because if a child isn’t given what they need when their younger the damage is done and the person they are and always going to be has already been shaped from mistreatment. I also discovered that if a child has an abusive upbringing they are prone to do the same because that’s all they know. Visual Reference:

Risk Assessment

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ MUST be undertaken to ensure cast, crew and public safety.  Risk assessments are straightforward and common sense. Assess potential hazards. Assess likelihood of potential risk.  Assess severity of potential consequences.  List controls in place to control risk.  List any further action required to control risk.  Create risk assessment action plan.  Create risk assessment contact list. Potential Hazards: Trip – wires, chairs, tables, and lighting Severity of potential risk: Medium Severity of potential consequences: Medium To control risk: Make sure all wires are taped down. Ensure that chairs are placed under tables and when lighting isn’t being used to turn on the big light to ensure no one unknowingly walks into a hazard. Further additional controls: I will tell everyone about the potential hazards and ensure everyone knows how to make sure they are safe and other are safe also. Risk assessment plan: Contact List: Rhianwen( director) - 07811689754 Hospital - 01792 702222 University  - 01792 205678

Script Breakdown

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Note:  Used by every department for various purposes.  Crucial step in creating a films schedule.  Takes its detail from the screenplay. Script Breakdown Sheet Production Company......................                                       Date Production Title – Dark in Death                                       Breakdown Page.......  of .......                                                                                                     Page  count   ............ Scene – 1, of 1                      Scene Name....................................                  Int. or Ext – INT Description Detective Allison is trying to solve the crime of a missing girl.       Day or Night - Day Colour Code Day Ext. – Yellow Night Ext.  -  Green Day Int  -  White Day Ext.  -  Blue Cast (red) Allison Cameron Lara (missing girl ) Stunts (orange.) None Extras/Atmosphere (Green) None Extras/Silent Bits (Yellow) Special Effects (Blue) None Props (Purple) Chairs Table Picture of a girl Paper folder with paperwork Vehicle/Animals (Pink) None Wardrobe (Circle) Blouse and skirt Jeans and a t-shirt Make-up/Hair (asterisk) Curly and down, simple makeup. Sound Effects/Music (Brown) Knock on the door Special Equipment (Box) Folder Production Notes (Underline)

Shot List

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Scene No. Shot No. Shot Type/Size Camera Detail Shot Synopsis Length (x8) 1 1 Mid Low aperture Straight on looking at cam from the other side of the room. X3 1 2 High angling down wide shot Aerial looking down at the table at cam and Allison X3 1 3 Over Allison’s shoulder mid (whole scene) Looking towards Cam X2 1 4 Over cams shoulder looking down towards the table (mid) Looking at the picture moving across the table. X4 1 5 Close up Left side of Cams face his reaction to the image. X2 6 Master wide shot Side shot of both Allison and Cam at the table. X4 7 Close up Side of Allison’s face X3 8 Over cam’s shoulder mid Looking at Allison. X3 9 Medium close up Side of cams face. X2 10 Side shot of Cam and Allison X3 11 Close up side of Allison’s face Right side of Allison’s face. X3 12 Medium close up Allison’s face X3 13 Wide master Both X4 14 Close up Cam’s hands clenching

Treatment

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Note: 10 – 20 page pros version of the story.  Clear description of main character’s journey, subplots and tells whole story to the end.  Written in the present tense.  ‘Normally’ does not include dialogue.  Usually a step in writing process, prepared before a full screenplay is written. Treatment: Lara was abducted almost a week prior to this day, at this moment the detectives only have one suspect. He is called in for questioning and left in the room on his own. Cam is sat at the table waiting for the detective to arrive. He is confident even if he is a little nervous. Allison walks slowly but confidently towards Cam and slams the file down hard on the table before taking a seat. She addresses him but Cam remains confident that he is innocent. Allison slides a picture towards him to goad his reaction. Cam takes the picture from the table and looks at the image before him, he swallows hard.  Cam pushes the picture back towards Allison as he remains silent. Allison offers a deal to him, in return he would need to offer her Lara’s location. Cam refuses the deal. Allison takes a moment silence because she knows he is making things difficult he is also an intelligent killer so getting him to slip up is going to be hard. However Allison is getting impatient so she starts throwing questions towards him. However she is cut off by the sound of knocking on the door indicating that the solicitor has arrived. Allison knows she has lost this case, and Cam is now free to go and there is nothing Allison can do about it.