Film Opening Storyboard

This animated  storyboard is a (very) basic idea of what my film will be like. Sadly, it's 4x as fast as it should be.

Shot List

1. Very Wide Shot on Field. Nicholas and Riley each side of screen.
2. Medium Close-Up. Riley's Face
3. Extreme Close-Up. Riley's Mouth.
4. Over-the-Shoulder. Over Nicholas' shoulder to see Riley pointing gun.
5. Cut-In. Gun aimed at Nicholas and then fires.
6. Very Wide Shot. Same as first. Nicholas falls over.
7. Close-Up. Riley's Face
8. Bridging-Shot/ Close-Up
9. Cut-In . Riley reaching for phone.
10. Mid-Shot. Riley sitting on bed.
11. Extreme Close-Up. Eilif' face.
12. Close-up. Riley's face.
13. Wide Shot/ Pull Back. Riley sitting on bed as titles appear.
14. Two Shot. Nicholas and Riley.
15. Medium Close-Up. Nicholas.
16. Cut-In. Riley slams his hand on table.
17. Medium Close-Up. Riley.
18. Medium Close-Up.Nicholas.
19. Medium Close-Up.Riley.
20. Reaction or Noddy Shot. Nicholas.
21. Medium Close-Up.Riley
22. Reverse Tracking Shot. Nicholas walking down street.
23. Close-UpNicholas' face.
24. Cut-In. Eilif's hand knocking over chess piece.
25. Over-the-Shoulder. Nicholas' shoulder to view gunman aiming gun at him.
26. Cut-In. Gun firing.

Though I plan to stick to this list, when filming I may find that certain shots don't work or don't look right and I may feel the need to improvise.

Some of the match-on-action may be slightly out of sync when I come to edit and I may choose to change the shots to keep it smoother and less jumpy.

Mise en Scene - Background Images

Using Adobe Photo shop, I've created the 2 images that I wish to have within the frames with Nicholas and Riley.
The first one is a skull. This appears as a poster on the wall when Riley is on the phone to Nicholas. It foreshadows the appearance of Eilif and also what will happen to Nicholas and Riley later in the film. Because this skull represents Eilif, it tell the audience that he is effectively death and therefore that bad things will happen to the other characters when they're around him.

The second images depicts a Guardian Angel. It will be a picture on the wall that is in-frame behind Nicholas when him and Riley are talking.
This image represents Nicholas as a guardian to Riley, despite not totally appearing as one, he is more so later in the film.
As an angel is also depicted as a messenger or being of great power, it fits Nicholas' persona well and is a good symbol for him.

Both images have slight religious meanings. both "Death" and "Guardian Angels" appear in the bible. Because "SHOT" actually has a strong religious feel about it underneath the base, these images fit in perfectly.

SHOT - Basic Plot

Riley Williams is a 17 year old who, as far as he knows, just seems to have turned up from nowhere. He has little memory of his childhood. Though he has memories of his parents, he can never remember their faces.

For the most part of his life, he's always felt like there was something more to life then what he could see.

Riley suffers from a reoccurring dream in which he shoots and kills his only friend, Nicholas Chance. He has no idea why this dream occurs, which scares him.

One day, after having another episode of this dream, he receives a phone call from an unknown caller, Eilif.

Shortly after this, Nicholas gets a phone call from the same guy and is shot by a masked gunman afterwards. Although his wound is severe, he pulls through and Riley visits him in hospital.

Here, Nicholas explains to Riley that he is part of a big organisation that controls nearly everything and is everywhere.

As a now ex-member of this organisation, Nicholas is now being pursued by Eilif and a number of assassins. But if them organisation controls everything, why didn't they kill him in the hospital? This is because Eilif, despite being a high rank, secretly wants the organisation to crumble. But the only way he sees that this is remotely possible is if Nicholas and Riley can defeat him.

Unknown to everyone but Eilif, Riley is also part of the organisation. As a child he was trained to be an assassin, but was brainwashed so that he wouldn't remember, making his one of the ultimate secret weapons.

Riley must them face himself, as the organisation instructs him to kill Nicholas. Riley now begins to question who can he trust if he can't even trust himself.

Shockingly, Riley kills Nicholas, but then proceeds to try and kill Eilif and fails, dying in the process. this leads to the main conclusion of the film, you can't always get what you want.

Planning Mise En Scene

Dream Sequence
In this sequence there will be hints leading to the direction that the film is going.
The colour will have a slightly purple/ red tint. Showing that it's not only surreal, but menacing.
Riley, while doing everything else in script, will be holding a mask. This is the same mask which the gunman is later wearing (subtle, right?). Though the movie may not lead to him actually being the gunman, I want the audience to have suspicions, just as he does about himself.
In this scene, Nicholas should be wearing the same kind of clothes that Riley usually wears. This should indicate that they share a similar situation, and possibly even inner-state. However, this will also show that in Nicholas' death, a part of Riley will also die.

The Bedroom
Despite this scene not being very long, I want it to show part of Riley's. current mental state. This means the lighting will be dark, to show that he's sad, troubled and lost. On the wall will be a hanging picture or poster of a cracked skull or something similar. This represents his mental instability and how venerable he is.
When on the phone, his shadow should be broad cast onto the wall behind him, as to appear big and hovering over him. The connotation of this is that something powerful is watching over him, something that's a part of him and event controlling him.

The Living Room

The living room is a place of security, where people, such as Riley, should feel safe. In the presence of his best friend, Nicholas, there's no reason for him not to feel secure. In this scene, Riley is telling Nicholas some of the things that are going on in his life and should feel safe in doing so.
This is the first time that the audience meets the reel Nicholas, so I want to communicate something about his relationship with Riley to the audience, other than their obvious friendship. Nicholas is effectively Riley's protector, similar to a guardian angel. Because I think religion should be a big theme in this, I think it would be good to view Nicholas as a guardian angel. I could use lighting to give the appearance of a halo above his head. It's either that or an image of an angel or small figurine. It depends on how easy it is in the filming process.

Street

Here, I want the audience to feel as though something bad is going to happen. To create an uneasy atmosphere, as well as having non-diagetic music that has a build up playing in the background, I'm going to have darker, creepier lighting. Shaky camera work could also help create an unstable atmosphere.
Because Nicholas is getting shot in this scene, I'd like for him to be wearing an article of clothing, ideally a shirt, with pattern on it that resembles a target.

Planning

Actors
I have asked some of my friends if they would like to help, however none have confirmed. I will have to get their confirmation or find different actors who can.

Props & Costume
I either have all the props I need or have been allowed to borrow them from friends, such as fake guns and combat vests.

The costume for Riley has been planned. I have part of it but am still searching for a plain-grey hoodie.
I have a rough idea on what I need for the character Nicholas, but will have to plan and confirm I can get the right clothing.

Set
Everything is covered for set. I plan to film in a street, a nearby field, my living room and my bedroom.

Equipment

• Tripod (Owned)
• Camera (Owned, but may use one from school or friend for better quality)
• Gorilla Pod (Owned)
• Lighting (Owned)
• Camera Dolly (Either use a school one or go free hand with a mono-pod to stabilise shot)

Interview with a Typical Member of my Audience

While researching the importance of target audience, I was set the task of creating a profile for a typical audience member. Above is a fake interview with him, that I created.

The audience member's name is Harry Williams.
Harry lives in a flat in London and has a university degree in media production.
He is employed by various companies to make idents, short films and music videos. Though these are not major companies, he makes enough money to have a decent living.
Currently he is single but seeing someone.
His hobbies include making short films, watching movies (mainstream & non-mainstream), computer gaming and going out with his friend regularly.
The films he watches most are often classed as 'specialized' and 'non-mainstream'. He watches them for deeper reasons than most cinema-goers, often looking at the messages given and filming techniques used. He could be classed as an Aficionado.

Feedback On My Script

This time we pre-prepared drafts for our film openings so that we could give and receive feedback on each others work. These drafts used the correct spacing, font and layout.

The positive point for my draft of "SHOT" were:
-Good opening to hook viewers.
-Good characters.
-Gave a detailed image of what was happening in the scene, at points.
-Fits the genre it's supposed to.

Points to improve were:
-Lack of Mise-en-Scene.
-Need a better understanding of the relationship between the characters.

How I plan to improve:
-The mise-en-scene can be improved easily. It wasn't that I'd forgotten to include it, I had just forgotten to write about it in the script. The're multiple ideas I have concerning communicating information about the characters to the audience. An example of things I plan to have with-in frames with characters are pictures with relevant images, televisions with relevant images, clothing colour and possibly religious symbols near or on them at points.
-As for the relationship between characters, I believe that just from reading the script it was unclear of who they were in relation to each other. Hopefully, when I have produced the opening, it will be clear who they are to one another.
-Another frequent comment was 'Is there music here?" Or "Is there non-diabetic sound at this point?" Throughout I have parts which require music or non-dialectic sound. I did not include mentions of it in the script because it was a draft to get others to understand the concept.

Here is my script (The layout on my blog is not the same as the actual script layout):

"SHOT"

WRITTEN BY

BEN WOODIER

FADE IN:

EXT. FIELD - DAY - DREAM SEQUENCE

RILEY IS FACING NICHOLAS, WHO HAS HIS BACK TURNED. THEY'RE STANDING 3 METRES APART.
RILEY RAISES HIS GUN AND AIMS AT NICHOLAS.
THE CAMERA PEERS OVER NICHOLAS'S LEFT SHOULDER TO VIEW RILEY.

RILEY

I'M SORRY, NICHOLAS.

RILEY FIRES THE GUN. NICHOLAS FALLS OVER, DEAD. RILEY THEN PULLS THE GUN UPON HIMSELF, AIMING AT HIS CHIN. HE SQUINTS HIS FACE AS HE BEGINS SQUEEZING THE TRIGGER.

CUT TO:

INT. RILEY'S BEDROOM - MORNING

RILEY WAKES UP. HE HAS THE SAME FACIAL EXPRESSION AND IS BREATHING HEAVILY AND MILDLY SWEATING.

A MOBILE PHONE IS RINGING.

RILEY ANSWERS THE PHONE.

RILEY

HELLO?

EILIF(OVER PHONE)

IT HAPPENED AGAIN. DIDN'T IT RILEY.

A LOOK OF PANIC ENTERS RILEY. HE TURNS TO THE SIDE OF HIS BED AND PUTS THE PHONE DOWN, THEN SINKS HIS HEAD INTO HIS HANDS.

CAMERA PULLS BACK AS THE TITLE SEQUENCE FADES ONTO SCREEN.

CUT TO:

INT. RILEY'S LOUNGEH - MORNING

RILEY AND NICHOLAS ARE SITTING DOWN ON CHAIRS, FACING EACH OTHER.

NICHOLAS

I DON'T GET IT, MAN. THEY'RE JUST DREAMS, RIGHT? THEY DONT MEAN ANYTHING.

RILEY

THEY'RE NOT DREAMS... THEYRE... REAL.

NICHOLAS

REAL? HOW ARE THEY-

RILEY (INTERUPTING)

IT'S... WEIRD. THEY'RELIKE MEMORIES, MEMORIES FROM THE FUTURE.

NICHOLAS

FUTURE? DO YOU REALIZE HOW CRAZY THAT

RILEY (INTERUPTING)

I KNOW... I KNOW...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT.STREET - DAY

NICHOLAS IS WALKING. HIS PHONE BEGINS TO RING AND HE ANSWERS.

NICHOLAS

HELLO?

EILIF(OVER PHONE)

NICHOLAS, IT'S EILIF. THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE OFF PLAN. YOU'RE... NO LONGER NECESSARY.

THE CAMERA PEERS OVER NICHOLAS'S LEFT SHOLDER TO VIEW A GUNMAN. A GUNSHOT IS FIRED.

Psychological Thriller

For my film opening, I have chosen to work primarily with the sub-genre of psychological-thriller (As explained in my pitch). The reason I have chosen to use this genre is because I enjoy films in that genre, for example David Fincher's Fight Club (1999).

Fight Club (1999) Trailer:

The psychological-thriller genre focuses on the unstable emotional state of characters combined with mystery and thriller. Psychological thriller often involves aspects from mystery and drama genres, but can also involve traits from horror. Too many aspects from horror though can cause the film to become a psychological-horror.
The cliche of a psychological-thriller is usually the main character having to overcome an enemy using mental strength, as opposed to physical. This enemy could be another character who's using deceptive mind games to control them, or the enemy could even be an internal conflict that they must overcome. It's seen that the character will usually be in as bad mental state at the beginning and/or middle of the film, but at the end will have concurred their problem and recovered.
A back-story is used in the genre lots to be the reason why a character is mentally unstable. The back-story is revealed at one point to deepen our understanding of the story and character. This is great for plot-twists and character development.
A first person narrative is also used frequently in this genre so we see from the character's view point and enables the audience to understand the mental state and to become involved with this character. This technique can also be pared with the technique of unreliable narrator. The reason is for plot twist that make the film more exciting, psychyological and thrilling.

Film Opening Pitch

This is an idea for the opening of a film which main genre is psychological thriller.


The "basic" story is Riley has recurring dreams of himself shooting Nicholas. Nicholas is his best friend whom he has known for ages and the pair assume they know everything about each other. Nicholas works for an organisation that betrays him for getting too close to Riley who, unknown to both of them, is a brainwashed secret assassin. The organisation is controlled by a character named Eilif. The character is named this because "Eilif" means immortal and he is in a position of power where he's untouchable. This organisation is gigantic and controls near everything, having great influence on most global issues. A small but high-up segment of this organisation is the assassins, like Nicholas.  Another secret segment is the secret assassins, who're brainwashed. These secret assassins work with-in the organisation, disposing of anyone who threatens (Or appears to threaten) the secrecy of the organisation, like Nicholas.



The underlying questions the audience would ask from this film would be would be:

- "Can you trust others?" -The way Nicholas trusted Riley & Eilif.
-"Can you trust yourself?" -When Riley discovers he's been brainwashed.
-"What do you think you know?" -After Riley's mind has been opened, he questions this.
-"What do you actually know?" What Riley questions after the previous point.
-"Can you actually fully control someone/ something?" -After Riley discovers he's an assassin, Eilif wonders if he can ever fully control people or if it's just an illusion or something he can come close to but not fully achieve.
-"Can you actually achieve the goal you set or will you just accept what you've achieved?" When Riley & Nicolas find Eilif is basically untouchable in his position of power, this question becomes arises. And also this question is posed to Eilif when he realises he cannot fully control people like Riley.

Eilif could also be abbreviated to Mr. E, which sounds like "mystery". Though this could seem comical so I may not use it.