Creating and Pitching a Movie (Coursework Prep)

In our groups we were given 4 prompt cards in which we had to create a movie of our own. Our prompts in which we HAD to include in our movie were: 2 characters- Jack aged 26 and Jane, the genre of horror and an object of a knife, which was handy as it fitted in really well with our theme.

With our cards we came up with ideas of what this movie could be about, as it was a horror we needed a killer and victims, so brainstormed loads of ideas, our initial idea was that the 2 main characters were Jack and Jane and with it typically being the male as a psychotic killer, but then we switched it round so the killer is completely unknown until the very end of the movie. We thought that there aren't very many horror movies set in a boring old office, in a call centre and we found their was a 'space in the market for one'. deciding on what would actually happen in our movie, there was some agreeing and disagreeing on some points, but we eventually came up with an idea we were all happy with, although it was a little complicated, buts its because there was a lot of detail.

 Our final idea was....

Jack and Jane are the main characters, they are introduced at the start, by Jack who has been working at the office for about 4 years now, Jane a new intern at the office, he likes what he sees and tries to make conversation with her, Jane has a lot of male attention in the office. Then

 28 workers in the call centre (very similar to the one above) are just doing their everyday things, on the phone, a boring low paid tedious job. the killer hangs one of the workers the body is hung in a cupboard, but now one knows, the murderer suddenly cuts off all communication eg phones, computers then takes over the tanoy saying he only wants 9 victims so they remaining 18 have to be killed, not by him, by their fellow workers, no one believes him, so he tells them to check the store cupboard to see the blood ridden body, the lights are turned off, its pitched black and there is panic surrounding the room, sudden screams and thumping to the ground, the odd gunshot too.

 The lights turn back on bodies are lying on the ground, only a few not enough, some people jump out of the window, as they cant face reality hoping for survival. 9 are left. The cocky jock, with his 2 side kicks, who are pretty stupid and dumb, they don't really have a voice just follow the leader, there are 2 slutty easy girls, who are underestimated in the workplace, Jack and Jane, the quiet guy in his mid 40's who gets picked on quite abit, the jock treats him sort of as his slave, then the killer. 6 slowly die in unorthodox, strange ways, the so called hard guy is crying his eyes out, snot coming out of his nose, the quiet man is very brave and risks his life, shouting to the man " take me, leave the others and let them live, if you want someone then take me!" we still don't see the killers face.

 3 are finally left, Jack, Jane and the unknown person controlling this whole thing, they walk in to a small room, the bosses room, where Jack is handed a knife, his already blood splashes over his face from the others, Jane is crying with cuts over her face from fighting people off so she survives, but not for long. Jack is told to slit his own throat and die while Jane watches, he is hysterically crying taking a little while to end his life. The killer walks past his heading to the door, tuts, while shaking his head and says' to long, to long' pulls out a gun and shoots him in the head, then waits 5 seconds to then kills Jane, he walks out of the room which you then see from an angle never seen before of the back of the office, where multiple screens are on the wall CCTV, and the faces of each victim with a big red cross through it. the picks up his jacket and walks out, you only get a quick glimpse of his face, its the cleaner, the innocent cleaner left in the background of every conversation, meal and joke. 

Our film would be called '÷ 3, because each time a group of people die it divides by 3. 

28 to start with, one dies(hung in cupboard- which is when the proper story sets in) 

27 are left: 27÷  3= 9 (which is how many the killer wants left) 9÷3=3(Jack, Jane and the killer) 3÷ 3=1 (killer). 

How we will pitch it...

we will create a Powerpoint with cue cards on our idea of the movie, we will explain why we set it in a office- its a good opportunity because there's a gap in the market for an office based horror, its also a sign of being trapped, surrounded in a tall busy building. With each of the group contributing regularly, showing confidence, our point of a new popular movie will hopefully please everyone. 

We will have designated speeches, and a storyboard to explain the main points of what will happen throughout, we will explain everything as much as possible so there are limited questions to answer so everyone who we are pitching it to understands fully.

Then from the feedback of the audience we will make any changes needed, to make the movie best as it can be, we need to work as a successful team for it to be a successful film.

Documentaries

A documentary film is a nonfictional motion picture intended to document
some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record, its used to inform people of a certain situation, person or place. Documentary filmmakers are often motivated to make their films because they feel a particular story or viewpoint is not being covered by mainstream media, such as certain places in the world (good or bad) or an endangered species of animal.

Documentaries can be funny, poignant, disturbing, ironic, absurd, inspirational, amusing, shocking or any combination. It is a genre of movie making that uses video & film scenes, photographs and/or sound of real people and real events which when edited together creates a particular story, viewpoint, message or experience. David Attenborough is a very famous naturalist and is know for his documentaries around the word focusing on the earths animal wonders and how there process of life is different to the norm, the most recent of Life Stories. Other documentaries are 'man on wire', 'Valentino: the last emperor', 'Don't look back', 'Man with a movie camera', 'Oscar Pistorius- the Truth'.

Script for Chairboy

ChairBoy

 

Narrator: [Narration, Several cut shots of Jake doing things]. This is Jake Stewart, a young seventeen year old boy living in Burham, Norfolk.  He likes watching the football, playing video games and seeing his friends at the weekend but when he is away from all that he enjoys nothing more than spending time with his partner whom he has been together with since he was little.  The only problem is, that it is a chair. [Shot pans from Jake to the chair, whom has been on a leash in the majority of the photos so far].  My crew and I shall be staying with Jake for the next week to see if love really does travel in mysterious ways…

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH MOTHER #1 (We changed it an interview with Jake's father instead)

 

Narrator:  Hello, you are the mother of Jake Stewart, is that correct?

 

Mother: [concerned] Yes… I am Mrs Stewart.

 

Narrator:  Can you please tell me when Jake started his relationship with his chair?

 

Mother: [still hesitant] Well, he was five years old…

 

Narrator:  Please, go on.

 

Mother:  Well, he was five.  He hadn’t been at school long, he was only little- He was a very easily influenced young boy, you see.  And he saw this chair in the library of his school and- Well… He just couldn’t stay away from it – he wouldn’t!  It got so bad that he was told off and given detentions almost every day!  Eventually I had to buy the chair just to keep him from getting into trouble. He was a very demanding young boy was Jake.

 

 

 INTERVIEW WITH JAKE #1

 

Jake:  [Mid interview, very excited] It is the best chair you’re ever going to find!  Look, touch it!  Actually no don’t only I am allowed to touch it, she’s mine. 

 

Narrator:  What is it that first drew you to this chair?

 

Jake:  I don’t know really.  It just had something about it, something made me know that I had to have this chair.  See that was when I was a boy, but I’m a young man now and I couldn’t be happier

 

Narrator:  So you would rather go with a chair than a woman?

 

Jake:  Well, yes! I don’t see any reason why not. [Growing hostility]  The chair can do anything any normal girl can do!

 

Narrator:  I wasn’t doubting that-

 

Jake:  I can hold and sit with her when I am happy, I can talk to her when I am sad!  [looks around suspiciously] And, coitus? Well… [spins the chair around to show a hole in the back of the chair].

 

 

 WALKING INTERVIEW WITH JAKE

 

Narrator: [Narration] After the first few days, it was clear to us that Jake doesn’t like to travel anywhere without his chair, preferring to keep it held by a leash for easy mobility.

 

[cut to walking behind Jake with his chair down the street]

 

So where are we going today Jake?

 

Jake:  We’re going to Zak’s house. He’s cool.

 

Narrator:  What makes him cool, Jake?

 

Jake:  He’s got lots of cool stuff and he’s my friend. We play games all the time and talk about football and life and school and stuff.

 

Narrator:  Does Zak not go to the same sixth form as you then, Jake?

 

Jake:  Nah, Zak is a few years older than me.  We always have to go through the side door so his parents don’t see me, he’s not allowed friends over on weekdays!

 

[Shot of a sign saying “Dr Zachary’s Therapy Clinic” outside the house]

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH COUNSELLOR

 

[shot of Dr Zachary sitting writing notes as Jake enters the room]

 

Dr. Zachary:  Hey there big guy, how’s it going?

 

Jake: I’m alright thanks.

 

Dr. Zachary:  Good stuff, take a lay down man let’s have a talk!

 

[Jake goes to lay down on the bed]

 

[cut to interview with Dr. Zachary]

 

Dr. Zachary:  I’ve been Jake’s therapist for over five years now and- wait is it six yet? [counting on fingers] One, two, three, four… No it is about five years.  I pretend to be a teenager in order to help my younger patients trust me more, to show them I’m not some big scary therapist who’s gonna rip out your thoughts and suck out your soul like a fresh vacuum!! [dry laughter]

 

Narrator:  Some people have said that some of your methods are quite… controversial.  What do you make of this?

 

Dr. Zachary:  Well I would disagree, I think that I do the job I do to help people.  I mean yes, maybe I do sometimes use some ‘unorthodox’ techniques… but I get results, I get the job done!

 

[Scene cuts back to Dr. Zachary and Jake’s therapy session, mid exercise.  Jake is positioned in an elaborate pose and Dr. Zachary is yelling at him]

 

Dr. Zachary:   Strip.

 

[pause]

 

[back to the interview]

 

Dr. Zachary:  What do I think about Jake’s problem?  No, yeah I think he’s pretty fucked up.  Beyond my help definitely!  But well, if they want to keep paying me then who am I to stop them?

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH MUM #2

 

Narrator:  Do you think Jake will ever grow out of this phase he is going through?

 

Mother:  I don’t know.  I hope so.  It’s too bizarre, I’m not sure how much more I can take of this.

 

Narrator:  Why, do you think it will affect him in the future?

 

Mother:  Well, he’s leaving for university next year and I- [pause] I just don’t want to see him humiliated because of his… disorder.

 

Narrator:  And you think this will be the case?

 

Mother: [defensive] I don’t kn- I never said that he would definitely be treated differently! It’s just… Well, what would you think, if you were walking through the halls or something and saw… that?

 

 

 INTERVIEW WITH JAKE:

 

Narrator:  What does the word ‘love’ mean to you?

 

Jake:  I think that love is a mystical and spiritual thing.  People have been saying for centuries that love ‘travels in mysterious ways’…

 

Narrator:  [pause] And so do you think love travels in mysterious ways?

 

Jake:  I think love comes to everybody in some shape or form, and when it does, there isn’t going to be anything that stops it.

 

Narrator:  So, you’re saying that you think love is quite a bizarre sort of-

 

Jake:  [laughing] I’m saying that it doesn’t matter!  All that matters is that I love her and she loves me, there isn’t anything else.
                                                        THE END.

Character Profiles- Chairboy

Character/Actor Profiles

We chose Owen Smith age 16, to play the main character, Jake Stewart, because they are of similar age and have very similar features of short brown hair and short in height. Owen is also a drama student at GCSE and A-Level, so is not shy to play very different roles. Owen is also a media student so understands what is required and has experience of doing this because his group have also created documentaries and short (4-6 minute) movies.

Fionna Monk will be taking the role as narrator. She was also a drama student at GCSE and currently at A-level, so is also good at adapting to appropriate roles. She has a clear, projective voice which can be used in different types of scenarios. We feel Fionna will be a good narrator to introduce the background information as she has experience with acting and narration.

Dr Zachary is played by James Huxtable, he also is a drama student, and looks older than Owen who is playing the main character, Jake. James is playing the doctor trying to treat Jake in his ‘unorthodox’ ways, Dr Zachary, acts as a friend to Jake, in order to cure him but Jake doesn’t know he is a doctor. James as a drama student can improvise roles for what fits each scene, he is creative too.

Toby Setters is playing the dad of Jake. He also is a drama student and is a creative too, he looks older than various other possibilities of playing the father, and we thought he would be a successful part in this production. Toby also is a media student and understand what we needed to do to make it effective. Jake’s father is understanding of Jakes condition but hopes he will grow out of it, and wants him to be normal.

We had problems with the casting of our production, so some changes needed to be made. James's sister played the role of the narrator, as time was short and we needed to find someone quickly, she has a clear voice which was helpful.  Emily turned out to be a very good narrator, so our documentary finally was finished and good.

Examples of Stop motion filming

Mary and Gretel - 1917
This is one of the first Stop-motion films, A fairy brings two dolls to life, part of a short lived stop-motion puppet series by animator Howard S. Moss. There has been puppets and dolls used along side rabbits and dwarfs. During the early 18th century technology was very limited for the time, this little short movie is inventive and performed well, in terms of creation.





Post-it Creation
This is a very different type of stop motion to the other two I have looked at, 2 men spent weeks creating this mind blowing video, from only using post-it notes. They created pictures and words using the man sitting at the desk while he is trying to get on with his work, while all the thoughts running through his head.

Fantastic Mr Fox- 2009

This is a very short clip from the 2009 movie 'Fantastic Mr Fox', it also uses stop motion, but as it was made a lot more recently the outcome is a lot more successful, because it doesn't stutter as much as 'Mary and Gretel', it has more of a natural flow of photos.

Using Adobe After Effects

We had a lesson in Adobe After Effects to help us with our coursework editing of movies and to teach us the vital lessons in it. Firstly for us to learn the basics we chose a name of what our 'production' company would be called, I chose 'Light Productions', we could then play about with the font, colour, size, and stretching of the text. I decided on making the 'Light' a rich yellow colour, and made it slightly larger, 'Production was made white and squeezed together a little to look smaller, as 'Light' is the more important part of the name. We then started to edit it, moving it about, fading in and out, the size changing automatically. I chose a simple effect of fading the writing in and out, I did this by changing the opacity from 100% to 0%, then by moving the 2 diamonds on the seconds they will change.

I then added a background to it of a spotlight, I did the same fading in and out, at the same time, so when it is shown on a screen it will work together at the same time.

This is a screenshot of creating my I-dent.
 

 

This is a screenshot of my ident, but I had some problems with technology so cant access it.

Student AS Media- Movie Opening- Exiled

This is an AS media movie opening called Exiled- its a fantasy about a group of boys on a quest, as you can see by the surroundings and their speech. The first few seconds to it set the scene of the countryside there is diagetic sound of the wind. It then cuts to the 4 male characters who are wearing neutral coloured clothing, shirts, waistcoats and mid length shorts, they have no shoes on and sticks. You can tell its set in an unusual world to the ordinary one, maybe a different dimension or just in the far past.

Non-diagetic sound sets in and slowly builds up it fits with the genre as the names of the actors slowly flash up on screen. as the music is playing the boys/men continue with what they are doing- playing an instrument, sitting by the fire, and cooking food. There are various camera angles, from their height, from above, the lighting is dull but fits in well with the time period, the boys are wearing browns and whites, so they stand out from the dark greens and black of the background. They then begin to pack up and continue with the quest, as they get ready there are many quick 1-2 second shots, which is effective as it speeds you the preparation rather than having a wobbling boring long camera shot. The wind is blowing, everything is very natural, outdoors, only non-diagetic sound is current. then as the camera shots change from behind them or besides them, to in front of them the music gets louder and more powerful.

There are various shots which now show more of the surroundings. it switches to a long shot behind them. This is when you see the setting, of a valley surrounded by hills. this movie opening is very much like the hobbit, of the bare feet, costume, sticks, landscape. after other shots of they walking, there is a very long shot of the valley, in the distance landing on the top of the hill is a dragon, it is not obvious but a very good feature, to explain the genre, of fantasy.

Towards the end of the opening, there is speech, this is the only bit of the opening with it, I feel this is very effective because nothing else is really needed to be said, the language they use clearly states its not set in current time, by his clothing and the fact he is the one who speaks, you can infer he is the leader of the group. He is the only one in red to make him stand out.

 

 

 The last shot is of the middle of the valley, the 4 boys walking and the sun setting. The producer of this edited the dragon, sunset and eagle flying in, this shows skill which fits in with the story.

I would want to go see the rest of this movie as they have executed the opening very well. This is my favourite opening I have seen, the editing, camera shots, overall story is very impressive. This has become very helpful for my decision in what I will do for my coursework as I enjoyed it so much, I will use this as a basis for mine.