Practical Skills

Practical Planning

On this page I will be developing practical elements towards planning my FMP, which will include storyboard, treatment, script, risk assessment, a test shoot and more. Completing these will help me massively in planning my film as I am going to be going into more detail on the steps towards production, making filming more efficient and structured.

Short Horror Film treatment.docx

TREATMENT

I wrote a treatment for my film on Word, which helped me plan out and section the film. I stated the characters, the logline, the summary, an overview of each scene and also an epilogue.

Storyline planning

The plot of a movie or a story often follows a similar outline: beginning, the inciting incident, the rising action, the climax, the falling action and the resolution. Based on this typical structure I have come up with a storyline for my film.

Protagonist wakes up after taking a nap to the sound of arguing, shouting and her baby brother crying ---> she tries to go back to sleep but can't, so decides to go for a walk to escape the shouting ---> it is light outside and she ends up walking through the woods ---> she loses track of time and it starts to get dark ---> she keeps hearing movement in the bushes but thinks nothing of it ---> she realises it seems to be following her and she starts to get suspicious ---> she notices she hasn't heard movement in a while and is relieved ---> she sits down on a log and lights a cigarette (things are quiet and it feels eery) ---> she looks up from lighting it and sees a figure stood in the distance ---> she looks around and then back to where the figure was and it is gone ---> she is suspicious but finishes her cigarette but doesn't realise the figure is behind her now ---> as she gets up and starts walking she trips and stumbles and hurts her ankle on a tree root ---> when she gets back up she gets a sharp pain in her head ---> opens her eyes and the shadowy figure is in front of her looming over her so she rubs her eyes and when she looks back they're all gone ---> she starts to freak out and decides to leave the woods however she can't find a way out ---> as she's trying to navigate the way a figure appears and starts running after her ---> the end before we know whether she escaped or not.

This is the storyline I am aiming to follow, so I will be planning my shot list, storyboard and script based on this.

COSTUME/MAKEUP

I am aiming to use simple and dark coloured costumes and makeup in order to match the dull, bleak atmosphere. I am also doing this because it means it will be easier for the actors and myself to find costumes that are suitable. There are 2 characters actually shown on screen - the protagonist and the antagonist. For makeup, only the protagonist will be wearing it and I am going for natural makeup which can add to the horror theme. This would include enhanced eye bags and pale skin, also to emphasise how tired she is of home life.

PROTAGONIST ANTAGONIST

grey hoodie - black longsleeved top/jumper with hood up

black or grey joggers - black trousers
any shoes - black shoes
messy updo for hair - black mask for face
darkened eye bags
pale skin

This is inspiration for the makeup of the protagonist. I can use the skills I learnt doing makeup and costume for GCSE drama to use makeup to represent emotions.

Storyboard & script

I used a storyboard template from google and filled it in with the key scenes/shots along with captions for what is happening visually and in regards to audio. I stated both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds that I am planning on having in my film. I have decided to use similar shots for the start and the end for a cyclical structure but with different connotations within the shots. Making a storyboard has helped me with visualising the shots and thinking about the sounds and audio that will be included. The shots drawn on the storyboard are not necessarily the exact shots I am going to get, but they are my general ideas for what they could look like.

Below is the script/screenplay I have written for my film. This includes the character's dialogue and action, so I now have something for the actors to follow. This will make production much easier as the scenes are more detailed and specific meaning actors can practise before filming and we can film more efficiently. O.S stands for off-screen which applies to te mother and father. To record their lines I will be using a voice recording app called RodeReporter.

FMP Movie Script.docx

Shot list

extreme close up birds eye shot of protagonist's eyes opening after a nap
close up of her smoking from behind (figure's perspective)
close up of her smoking from in front and figure is behind her in the trees
extreme close up of protagonist's fearful face (end shot)

Location and travel

The set for my film will be in the woods meaning traveling in a vehicle will not be an option for a few reasons. Firstly because the woods are footpaths not roads, and it would also disturb wildlife and could put animals and plants in danger. It would also be an unnecessary negative impact on the environment, since they are close enough to walk to from my house, which is where I plan on everyone meeting before the shoot.

I could also use another location, which is an abandoned golf course a little further from my house but still in walking distance. I could come here for more of a variety of shots and I also know that the sun shines there and looks very scenic.

Test Shoots

I am going to carry out test shoots at my chosen locations where I experiment with different camera movement styles and see if it will look how I'm planning for it to. I will also plan out the exact areas where I am planning to take my shots.

fmp test shoot done.mp4

20240507_171249000_iOS.mp4

I am happy with how my test shoots turned out, as they helped me see if my camera style and locations looked good. I also experimented with different colour filters to see what fits the theme best, and as I expected I thought the less saturated, dull look fit best. I like the camera style I chose to try and I think it will work really well with my video. However something I learned from my test shoot is that the wind was picked up in some of the clips which means I need to find a way to be able to get the dialogue recorded clearly. I am thinking of buying a clip on microphone that can connect to my phone (camera) to pick up dialogue. This would only need to be applied for the main character, as the other characters' dialogue is all off-screen so I can record that separately.

additional ideas

I am aiming to film this in a gritty style to add to the chaos and instability. Some programmes which are filmed in this style include Top Boy, The Wire and Breaking Bad. The style is defined by it's unstable camera movement, rawness and bleak atmosphere.
I am aiming to include a mixture of hand-held camera work and also using a tripod. I am planning to use a tripod for the calmer moments and hold the camera for more action-filled moments as I think these camera styles suit that and will emphasise the mood of the moments.

Above is a photograph of the alternate location (Golf Course) for additional cinematic shots.

Equipment list

camera - phone camera (4k 60fps)
props - cigarette, lighter
costumes & warm layers
food & water
first aid
bin bag

Cast list

I have now gathered the cast that will be acting in my film. They are all people that I see regularly so that's helpful for the filming process because they live close and it's easier to get everyone together and also film for more than one day.

Cast Proposal new.docx

Risk assessment

I completed a risk assessment using a template from www.gov.uk which will help me prepare for shooting as I thought about and now know what precautions I need to take while shooting and what I need to bring to the shoot in regards for the health and safety of the actors and crew. It has helped me develop an equipment list of things I need on set and to be able to film.

Risk_assessment_template.docx

Filming schedule

I am now ready to begin shooting for my film. Since the weather in my film is supposed to be quite sunny and at dusk, this works very well as we are in May and the weather over the next few days are around 20-23 degrees celsius and sunny. I am predicting that I will need 2 days to complete shooting because that will mean around an hour and a bit per day which doesn't over work us and gives us a nice balance, especially during the heat.

Audio recording

I also need to gather the recording for the beginning of the film when the parents are arguing. I will be asking the chosen actors (Maya White and Lorenzo Brunskill) to record their lines using RodeReporter or Voice Memos app. This shouldn't take too long as there are only a couple of lines for each actor.

They did exactly what I asked them to and I put the recordings together on iMovie to demonstrate how the audio clips will go together.

My Movie 2.mov

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